Drug Testing Policy

It is the policy of Discovery High School (Employer) to employ a work force free from the use of illegal drugs; accordingly, it is a condition of Discovery High School employment that all employees or job applicants submit to drug screening under the following circumstances:

  1. Pre-Employment – On a post-job offer basis when a final job candidate has been selected for a position. Any final job candidate who refuses to take a drug test or who has a positive test result will be denied employment at that time but may reapply after six (6) months.
  2. Reasonable Suspicion – When there is reasonable suspicion to believe that an employee is using or has used illegal drugs. Circumstances that could be indicators of a drug problem and considered reasonable suspicion are:
    • Observable phenomena at work such as direct observation of drug use or the physical symptoms or manifestations of being under the influence of a drug;
    • Abnormal conduct or erratic behavior while at work or a significant deterioration in work performance;
    • A report of drug use, provided by a reliable and credible source;
    • Evidence that an individual has tampered with a drug test during his/her employment with the current employer;
    • Information that an employee has caused, contributed to, or been involved in an accident while at work; or
    • Evidence that an employee has used, possessed, sold, solicited, or transferred drugs while working or while on the employer’s premises or while operating the employer’s vehicle, machinery, or equipment.
  3. Follow-up – Upon return to work from a drug/alcohol treatment program or upon return from an extended absence.
  4. Routine Fitness for Duty – Upon routine medical examination when it becomes a part of established procedure.
  5. Random Selection – As part of a random unannounced drug testing program conducted through the use of a random number generator or other neutral selection process whereby employees in “High Risk Positions” will be randomly selected for drug testing.

Any employee who consumes or is in possession of alcohol while on School premises, or whose body, blood or urine contains a quantity of illegal drugs above the threshold established by the Agency for Health Care Administration, or who uses, consumes, transfers, sells, or attempts to transfer or sell any form of illegal drugs on or off the School Board’s property, is guilty of misconduct and subject to discipline, including suspension without pay or termination for cause even for the first offense. Failure to submit to required medical or physical examinations or tests will be considered misconduct and just cause for suspension without pay or termination and may result in loss of worker’s compensation medical and indemnity benefits. This policy is authorized by Section 440.102, Florida Statutes.

All information, reports, statements, memoranda, and drug test results, written or otherwise, received by the employer though a drug testing program are confidential communications and may not be used or received in evidence, obtained in discovery, or disclosed in any public or private proceedings; except in accordance with Section 440.102, Florida Statutes. Employees will not be discharged, disciplined, discriminated against, or requested or required to undergo rehabilitation on the sole basis of a positive test result that has not been verified by a confirmation test. An employee or job applicant may confidentially report to the medical review officer his/her use of prescription or non-prescription medication before or after being tested.

An employee or job applicant who receives a positive confirmed test result may contest or explain the result to the medical review officer within five (5) working days after receiving written notification of the test result; and if such explanation or challenge is unsatisfactory to the medical review officer, the medical review officer shall report a positive test result to the Employer.
An employee or job applicant may contest the drug test result pursuant to rules adopted by the Department of Labor and Employment Security. When an employee undertakes a challenge to the results of a test it shall be the employee’s responsibility to notify the laboratory, which shall retain the sample until the case is settled.

Employees have the right to consult the testing laboratory or the medical review officer for technical information regarding prescription and non-prescription medication.

The drugs/drug groups for which the Employer will conduct tests under the Drug Free Workplace Program are alcohol, amphetamines, cannabinoids (marijuana), cocaine, phencyclidine (PCP), methaqualone, opiates, barbiturates, methadone, and propoxyphene. A list of common medications that may alter or affect a drug test is attached.

DRUG FREE WORKPLACE PROGRAM

OVER-THE-COUNTER OR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS WHICH COULD ALTER OR AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF A DRUG TEST
The following list contains the most common drugs/medications by brand name, common name, or chemical name which may alter or affect the outcome of a drug test. All or some of these drugs may be tested for under the employer’s drug testing policy. The Agency for Health Care Administration list of common drugs/medications are:
Alcohol:
All liquid medications containing ethyl alcohol (ethanol). Please read the label for alcohol content. As an example Vick’s Nyquil is 25% (50 proof) ethyl alcohol, Comtrex is 20% (40 proof), Contac Severe Cold Formula Night Strength is 25% (50 proof) and Listerine is 26.9% (54 proof).
Amphetamines:
Obetrol, Biphetamine, Desoxyn, Dexedrine, Didrex
Cannabinoinds:
Marinol (Dronabinol, THC)
Cocaine:
Cocaine HCI topical solution (Roxanne)
Phencyclidine:
Not legal by prescription
Methaqualone:
Not legal by prescription
Opiatea:
Paregoric, Parepectolin, Donnagel PG, Morphine, Tylenol with Codeine, APAP with Codeine, Aspirin with Codeine, Robitussin AC, Guiatuss AC, Novahistine DH, Novahistine Expectorant, Dilaudid (Hydromorphone), M-S Contin and Roxanol (morphine sulfate), Percodan, Vicodin, etc.
Barbiturates:
Phenobarbital, Tuinal, Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, Lotusate, Florinal, Floricet, Esgic, Butisol, Mebaral, Butabital, Butabarbital, Phrenilin, Trian, etc.
Benzodiazepines:
Ativan, Axene, Clonopin, Dalmane, Diazopam, Librium, Serax, Tranzene, Valium, Verstran, Halcion, Paxipam, Restoril, Centrax, etc.
Methadone:
Dolophine, Methadose
Propoxphene:
Darvocet, Darvon N, Doline, etc.

** Several of the above drugs have nicknames and trade names other than what is mentioned. If you are in doubt about a drug, please ask a medical professional.