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Haywood County Schools reports 9.65% positive rate in random student drug testing for 2023-24
Summary
At the Feb. 10 meeting the district reported results of its random student drug-testing program: 259 students tested with 25 positives (9.65%), up about 1.7 percentage points from the prior year; disciplinary steps and next steps were reviewed by central office staff.
Haywood County Schools presented its 2023-24 random student drug-testing report at the Feb. 10 Board of Education meeting, showing 259 students tested and 25 positive results, for an overall positive rate of 9.65%.
Dr. Haynes (central office) told the board the testing is conducted under district policy 43-26 for students who participate in extracurricular activities or who drive to campus. He provided school-by-school counts and positive rates: Central Haywood High School tested 10 students and recorded 4 positives (40%); Haywood Early College tested 11 students with 0 positives (0%); Pisgah High School tested 130 students with 12 positives (9.23%); and Tuscola High School tested 108 students with 9 positives (8.33%).
Dr. Haynes said the overall positive rate of 9.65% is about 1.7 percentage points higher than the previous year. He outlined the districtdisciplinary procedure under the policy: the first positive triggers parent notification and a meeting with the principal and then the student remains in the testing pool; a second positive results in suspension from 20% of contests or competitive performances (adjusted for season and remaining contests) and suspension of campus parking privileges for nine full weeks; subsequent positives can result in longer suspensions or loss of privileges.
Board members asked for the report in writing; Dr. Haynes agreed to email a printout of the report to the board.
Speakers cited in the report
- Dr. Haynes, central office presenter (introduced the 2023-24 random drug-testing results and disciplinary steps) - Chairman Francis (opened and moderated questions)
Authorities
- Policy 43-26, Haywood County Schools (random student drug testing), cited as the governing policy for the program.
What happened next
Board members did not take further formal action on the program at the meeting; staff committed to provide the detailed written report to board members by email.
Provenance
The drug-testing figures and disciplinary procedure were presented in the meeting transcript beginning with Dr. Haynesremarks on the testing program and school-level breakdowns and continued through a brief Q&A with board members.
