Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Discipline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board changes drug-testing wording to 'may' for second offense in athletic handbook
Summary
Knox County board approved the 2025–26 athletic handbook (second reading) and a drug-testing policy (first and only reading) that replaces the wording 'will' with 'may' for a student's second offense; the change was approved by voice vote.
The Knox County School Board approved revisions to its athletic handbook and a related drug-testing policy, replacing the handbook’s previous wording so that a second offense for drug use "may" — not "will" — trigger weekly drug testing.
Staff presented the 2025–26 athletic handbook for a second reading and brought a drug-testing policy for a first and only reading. The superintendent summarized the change: "Under that 2nd offense, it just says, instead of will, it will say may," noting the handbook's only substantive amendment under the second-offense disciplinary language.
Board members moved, seconded and approved the handbook reading and the drug-testing policy language change by voice vote; the transcript records ayes and no roll-call tallies. No implementation details (for example, appeal procedures, duration of testing, or specific testing vendors) were included in the discussion recorded in the transcript.
The change alters mandatory-sounding language to discretionary language for the second offense; staff did not provide additional guidance in the meeting about how the district will exercise that discretion, and no public comment was recorded on the item.
