Waxahachie ISD committee adopts changes to student random drug-testing guidelines

Waxahachie ISD on an unspecified date approved changes to the district's random student drug-testing guidelines, a committee announced during a regular meeting. The committee voted to accept the revisions unanimously.

The revisions remove a prohibition on practice participation for first-time positive tests (students will still be barred from competitions and performances), replace a 45-minute in-district drug-education session with a requirement of six hours of supervised community service, and eliminate a requirement that students test negative within a 10-day window before resuming activities. The committee retained existing consequences for second and third positives, including referral to outside drug counseling and extended suspension from extracurricular participation.

Committee members said the changes follow a review of other districts’ approaches and the subcommittee’s interviews with district staff elsewhere. The committee also said it will compile an approved list of community-service placements and require students to submit a verification form to the district counselor for sign-off.

Presenters said the district will roll out a single, standardized presentation for students and parents beginning next school year. The presentation will cover who is eligible for random testing (students in activities, and students who drive on campus, grades 7–12), the five-panel testing procedure, confidentiality rules, notification and appeal steps in board policy, and how parents can find testing and counseling resources. The district said parents will sign required enrollment forms and the presentation will be posted on the district website and included in orientation and parking-permit procedures.

Officials said refusal to submit when selected for testing is treated the same as a positive test. The committee noted existing safeguards: drug-testing results are not part of permanent academic records and are shared only on a need-to-know basis. The district also plans better outreach to coaches, sponsors and parents so students and families understand the program and its expectations.

The committee motion to accept the proposed changes passed by voice vote; the record states the motion carried unanimously, and individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the public transcript.

What changed - First positive: Students may attend practice but not competitions; a 45-minute in-district education session was removed and replaced with six hours of supervised community service (district staff to publish approved placements and verification forms). - Retesting: The district will not require a negative drug test within 10 days to return to activities after a first positive. - Second and third positives: External drug counseling is required and loss of activity privileges remains (90 days for second positive; 180 days for third positive), with an appeal procedure listed in board policy.

Implementation and next steps District staff said a single presentation will be provided to all students and parents starting next year, and that parking-permit procedures will be adjusted so students who drive on campus are placed in the testing pool. The district also noted an existing memorandum of understanding with REACH as a counseling resource for families who need outside services.

No party or legal authority was cited beyond the district’s board policy and existing memoranda noted during the meeting. The committee thanked members of the subcommittee for research and recommended continuing oversight during rollout.