Teachers Not Required to Take Drug Test For Job

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A mother of two, Cabell Wilbraham, is carefully planning her little ones futures.

As for which school they will go to, there is a big factor in that. "With the economy, my only option is public school."

Duval County public schools are where her kids will go. What Wilbraham is just finding out is the standards in which teachers are hired in Duval County do not match those in other counties.

"I think all the standard things should be done." First Coast News has learned one of the basic things done in the hiring process for many jobs, Duval County teachers are not required to do.

"I'm kinda dumbfounded. I don't get it," says Wilbraham. No teacher or substitute teacher in Duval County classrooms have had a drug test before they were hired.

"It's surprising that seems like the standard for any job." It's not for Duval. The county relies on something else to weed out problem applicants.

"A person being hired goes through both a national and state criminal background check, and we do not do pre-hire drug tests, says Vicki Reynolds. She is in charge of Human Resources for the Duval County School District.

The state of Florida has left it up to each county to decide whether to drug test its applicants.

As for who does and doesn't test, it may surprise you. Two of Florida's biggest school districts even differ.

Broward County, which is the Ft. Lauderdale area, does not drug test, but Orlando schools in Orange County do.

As for the First Coast: Duval, Clay, Nassau, Putnam and Union counties do not do a pre-hire drug test. While Baker, St. Johns and Columbia counties do.

Seth House has worked in a number of school districts across the country. He is now a second grade teacher at Timberlin Creek in St. Augustine.

House says the screening process in St. John's County was the most thorough he's ever gone through.

"They had a drug screen which was very different from any other county I taught in. In Georgia, they didn't have it in system I taught there. And Alabama, in two districts there, neither one had that before."

House says he thinks a drug test should be mandatory in all school districts. "Really it made sense to me because of the fact you are working with kids. You are working with other people's children."

One of the main reasons why counties choose not to drug test teachers is the cost.

"It's just a snapshot in time. It's expensive. Either we have to pay for it or teachers have to pay for it. Teachers already have to pay 75 dollars to get a certificate and 57 dollars to be fingerprinted," says Reynolds.

"I don't think it's relevant," says Terrie Brady, who is President of Duval Teachers United.

Brady and the teacher's union says it sees no reason to change the current policy. "No, because I believe right now, like I said, it's too expensive. I truly believe if there is a requirement, all employees will turn around and cleanse their system before they go take the test."

In the last three years, several local teachers were arrested on drug charges.

Forrest High teacher, Tracy Grant, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years probation.

St. John's County teacher, Robert Krug, pleaded no contest to his drug charge. He was also sentenced to three years probation.

"Not everybody who has drug problems has been convicted of some type of crime or have something that would standout on their record," says House. He says that is another reason why a background check and fingerprinting are not enough.

Duval County officials say while it may not drug screen teachers before they head to the classroom, it does drug test employees it suspects of using drugs. It is a system the County says works. "So far, so good. Did we catch everybody maybe not, but it seems to work pretty well that those around them are the best ones to know something is wrong," says Reynolds.

As for Wilbraham, she wants those watching over her little ones tested well before they head to class. "Just do it. You might find someone you shouldn't have hired. We all have to do it."

©2009 First Coast News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.