AY23 Academic Catalog/Handbook

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Drug Screening Procedures

All drug and alcohol tests will be performed by a college-approved testing company. Controlled substance test will be a 9-panel rapid. If the student is under the prescriptive care of a physician and tests positive, the student will be contacted by the Medical Review Officer (MRO) from the testing company and documentation must be presented within a specified deadline. Failure to submit requested documentation by the specified deadline will result in a positive ruling by the MRO.

Privacy Notification

The privacy of individuals taking these tests will be maintained consistent with the policies of Oconee Fall Line Technical College. Those students who pass drug testing will be included on the roster for the clinical course. Those students who fail the drug test will be dismissed from the program. A positive result is the sole determination of the MRO. There is no OFTC appeal process for a result deemed positive by the MRO.

Drug Testing

It is a violation of the OFTC Drug Testing procedure for any student to:

  1. report to OFTC or to any practicum/lab courses or any off-site instructional activity under the influence of or while possessing on or in his or her body, blood, or urine, illegal drugs in any detectable amount;
  2. report to OFTC or to any practicum/lab courses or any off-site instructional activity while under the influence of or impaired by alcohol;
  3. use prescribed drugs illegally, i.e., to use prescription drugs that have not been legally obtained or in a manner other than for the purpose prescribed). However, nothing in the OFTC Drug Testing procedure precludes the appropriate use of legally prescribed medications.

Additional information concerning OFTC drug testing can be found in official OFTC procedures.

Any student who refuses to comply with a request for drug testing shall be dismissed from the program for one semester. Refusal can include an inability to provide a sufficient urine specimen, saliva sample, or a breath sample without a valid medical explanation, as well as a verbal declaration, obstructive behavior, or physical absence resulting in the inability to conduct the test. Failure to submit to a required substance abuse test within the required timeframe or submitting a verified adulterated or substitute drug test constitutes a refusal and will be viewed as a positive result. A second violation of this procedure will result in permanent dismissal from all allied health programs.

Pre-Clinical Testing

All students enrolled in programs that require students to be placed in practicum/lab courses or be placed in any clinical or practicum setting will undergo testing for the presence of drugs as a condition of being placed in any practicum/lab course or in any clinical, internship, externship, or practicum site. Any student with a confirmed positive drug test will not be placed in any practicum/lab courses or in any clinical, internship, externship, or practicum site and will be dismissed from classes and the program for at least one full semester due to the fact that the clinical courses are required for the program of study. Students may continue to take general education or allied health core classes, or classes that are not prerequisite or corequisite classes during the term in which they are tested. A student who is dismissed from his/her program due to a failed drug test will not receive a refund for any fees paid.

Students will be required to submit voluntarily to a urinalysis at a laboratory chosen by Oconee Fall Line Technical College, and by signing the consent agreement will release OFTC from liability. The cost for this test will be paid by the student, financial aid, or third party. Fees made payable for drug screens are nonrefundable and must be paid by student when testing is arranged. Drug tests are valid for one year from the test date if the student maintains continuous enrollment at OFTC unless a request to retest is made due to reasonable suspicion or if the clinical site requests a retest. Student must show an OFTC student photo ID at time of drug testing. Additional fees may apply for certain situations and fees are subject to change.

Continuous Enrollment

If a student is not continuously enrolled following the term(s) in which he/she was tested, then the student will be required to retest once he/she re-enrolls following the pre-clinical testing procedures.

Reasonable Suspicion

Reasonable suspicion is based on the judgment of the clinical site. Reasonable suspicion is a belief that a student is using or has used drugs or alcohol in violation of this procedure drawn from specific objective and articulable facts and reasonable inferences drawn from those facts in light of experience. The clinical site will notify the instructional coordinator if a student has to be tested due to reasonable suspicion.

A refusal to test upon notification will be deemed a positive result.

Random Testing

Students are subject to random drug testing during the clinical/practicum rotation schedule as required by the clinical site. The affiliate clinical/practicum institution and OFTC shall have the right to terminate a student who fails a random drug test from the clinical/internship/practicum/externship site and from the program. The clinical site will notify the instructional coordinator if a student has to be tested due to random testing.

Return-To-Duty, Follow-Up-Testing

Students who violate or fail to follow any of the provisions of this procedure will be removed from their program for one full semester before being allowed to reapply to the program following the competitive selection process. The affiliate clinical/practicum institution, however, is not required to re-admit a student to a clinical/practicum site once a student has been released from its site. Some clinical sites are mandatory for certain Allied Health programs. Any student rejected by a mandatory clinical site will not be allowed to complete required clinical hours and, therefore, will be withdrawn from the program.

A student who has tested positive for drugs must attend drug/alcohol rehabilitation prior to reapplying to the program. Documentation (signed by a substance abuse professional) of this rehabilitation training must be submitted at the time of reapplication to the dean of student affairs. A second violation of this procedure will result in permanent dismissal from the program.