A Virginia school district is considering new mandatory drug testing for any employee who has contact with students.
It comes in response to a shocking incident last Thursday, when a second-grade teacher in Spotsylvania County and her husband were accused of being under the influence of drugs on school property. Now the school board there is trying to prevent something like this from happening again.
"It is very unfortunate that we're even having to have this discussion," said Spotsylvania County school board member Carol Medawar.
School board members voted unanimously this week to direct the interim superintendent to look into what a drug testing policy would look like for all employees who have contact with students.
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"Right now, we do have an existing policy for CDL drivers, right, that requires them to be tested at the time they're employed and then randomly throughout their employment," Interim Superintendent Kelly Guempel said.
That's the policy that Spotsylvania now is considering applying to most of its school staff.
Last week, according to investigators, a school resource officer at Spotswood Elementary School noticed that a second-grade teacher, 35-year-old Candyce Carter, appeared to be under the influence.
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Sheriff's deputies and EMS crews responded to the school. Authorities say they found Carter's husband, Kristopher, 34, in a car in the school parking lot with their two-year-old child. Kristopher Carter was unresponsive, and Spotsylvania County Fire & Rescue was dispatched for an overdose. According to dispatch, he was given Narcan twice.
The toddler was physically OK and was with social services, the sheriff’s office said last week.
Both Candyce and Kristopher Carter were charged with felony child endangerment and neglect. Candyce Carter is also facing a felony drug charge. Their attorneys were not immediately available for comment.
Students were examined, and it appeared none of them was hurt, the sheriff’s office said. The classroom was professionally cleaned out of an abundance of caution.
"I don't believe that our kids were put in any unsafe situation based on the information I've been given so far," Medawar said.
Spotsylvania's interim superintendent is currently reviewing the school district's existing drug testing policy for employees who have CDLs and is planning to present the school board with a proposal at an upcoming meeting.
For those looking for substance abuse resources: The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board serves a large area, including Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties. They offer an opioid treatment program, crisis counseling, a program for moms with substance use disorders, and free naloxone training.
