Students shall be notified in writing at the beginning of each school year or at the time of enrollment that 
they are subject to testing for drugs and alcohol during the school year. Should they determine that it is 
necessary and appropriate, principals are authorized to order drug tests for individual students when there is a reasonable cause to believe that: 

1. The school board policy on alcohol and drug use has been violated; 
2. A search of lockers, vehicles, persons, and/or containers produced evidence of the presence of 
   drugs and/or alcohol; 
3. Through observation or other reasonable information reported by a teacher, staff member or other student that a student is using drugs and/or alcohol on school property. 

Upon receiving reasonable information and determining that completing a drug or alcohol test would be 
appropriate and necessary, the principal shall notify the student and the student’s parents of the concern, 
the intent to administer a drug test and give the student an opportunity to decline the test.  The student 
shall be advised of that declining the test shall constitute grounds for suspension from school and a 
hearing before the disciplinary hearing authority.   The principal will then contact the contractor retained 
by the Knox County Schools for the purpose of performing drug and alcohol testing and request that the 
contractor send a representative to the school to properly collect a urine sample for testing. 

Based upon the circumstances and nature of the information leading to the order for drug and alcohol 
testing, the principal shall determine if the student will be allowed to return to school before testing results are received or if the student shall be offered an alternative education program until the results are available.  

Upon receiving a written, certified copy of the analysis from the laboratory, the principal shall do one of 
the following: 

1. If the results of the analysis are negative, all evidence of the individual test, including all records 
   in the school that the test was ordered and the reasons therefore, shall be destroyed. 
2. If the results of the analysis are positive, the student and parents or legal guardian shall be given 
   the written notice of the result. In addition, they shall receive referral information which shall 
   include in-patient, out-patient, and community-based drug and alcohol treatment programs.  The 
   principal shall take appropriate disciplinary action as prescribed by Board of Education policy 

The Knox County Schools shall bear the cost of administration for all student drug and alcohol tests 
ordered by school administrators.

Legal Reference: 

1. T.C.A. § 49-6-4213. 

Approved as to Legal Form 
By Knox County Law Director 11/17/2023 
/Gary T. Dupler/Deputy Law Director