The drug testing of athletes in Sullivan County schools has stopped while education officials wait to see if the state legislature takes action that would allow it.
The Sullivan County Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to suspend its policy requiring athletes to submit to random drug tests. The decision comes one month after Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper issued an opinion that the policy ? implemented by many school systems across the state ? may violate state code.
"My expectation is that the legislature will amend [that part of the code],"? board attorney Pat Hull said. "If the legislature would just change the statue that would remove the problem."?
Cooper argued that Tennessee law allows student drug testing only if there are "reasonable indications to the principal that such student may have used or be under the influence of drugs"? in his opinion.
Hull said the opinion leaves school systems with three options: suspend their current drug testing policy; require student athletes to sign waivers allowing random drug tests; or continue the policy and hope they do not receive any complaints.
In Bristol Tennessee, school officials took the same route.
"Ever since the attorney general said it was illegal, we stopped doing it,"? said Todd Bailey, public relations director for the Bristol Tennessee schools.
But Johnson City school officials are sticking to their guns. The city's Board of Education voted 4-3 Monday night to continue requiring athletes to submit to random drug tests.
Kingsport Schools Community Relations Coordinator Amy Greear said her system does not require drug tests for athletes.
Bookmarks