Employees who operate school vehicles are subject to drug and alcohol testing if a commercial driver's license is required to operate the school vehicle and the school vehicle transports sixteen or more persons including the driver or the school vehicle weighs twenty-six thousand one pounds or more. For purposes of the drug and alcohol testing program, the term "employees" includes applicants who have been offered a position to operate a school vehicle.
The employees operating a school vehicle as described above are subject to pre-employment drug testing and random, reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug and alcohol testing. Employees operating school vehicles will not perform a safety-sensitive function within four hours of using alcohol. Employees governed by this policy are subject to the drug and alcohol testing program beginning the first day they operate or are offered a position to operate school vehicles and continue to be subject to the drug and alcohol testing program as long as they may be required to perform a safety-sensitive function as it is defined in the administrative regulations. Employees with questions about the drug and alcohol testing program may contact the school district contact person, Director of Transportation at 714 Date Street, Schleswig, Iowa 51461.
Employees who violate the terms of this policy are subject to discipline, up to and, including termination. The district is required to keep a record of all drug or alcohol violations by employees for a minimum of five years. Employees are put on notice that information related to drug or alcohol violations will be reported to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Clearinghouse. Additionally, the district will conduct FMCSA Clearinghouse queries for employees annually. Employees must provide written consent for the district to conduct FMCSA Clearinghouse queries; however, employees who choose to withhold consent will be prohibited from performing any safety sensitive functions.
It is the responsibility of the superintendent or superintendent’s designee to develop administrative regulations to implement this policy in compliance with the law. The superintendent or superintendent’s designee will inform applicants of the requirement for drug and alcohol testing in notices or advertisements for employment.
The superintendent or superintendent’s designee will also be responsible for publication and dissemination of this policy and supporting administrative regulations and forms to employees operating school vehicles. The superintendent will also oversee a substance-free awareness program to educate employees about the dangers of substance abuse and notify them of available substance abuse treatment resources and programs.
IASB Drug and Alcohol Testing Program (IDATP) Web site: https://www.ia-sb.org/Main/Affiliated_Programs/Iowa_Drug_Alcohol_Testing_Program.aspx
Information about the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Clearinghouse is located at: clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov.
Information about resources for a substance-free awareness program and related services may be obtained from the school district's employee assistance program, the Department of Education at (515) 281-3021 or Department of Health, Substance Abuse Division at (515) 281-3641. For regulations and forms, http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/drug/drug.html
Date Board Adopted: 12/20/2010
Date Board Updated/Reviewed: 2/14/2022
Legal Reference: American Trucking Association, Inc., v. Federal Highway Administration, 51 Fed. 3rd 405 Cir. (4th1995).
49 U.S.C. §§ 5331 et seq.
42 U.S.C. §§ 12101.
41 U.S.C. §§ 81.
49 C.F.R. Pt. 40; 382; 39.
34 C.F.R. Pt. 85.
Local 301, Internat'l Assoc. of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO, and City of Burlington, PERB No. 3876 (3-26-91).
Iowa Code §§ 124; 279.8; 321.375(2); 730.5.