A Virginia school board voted 4-3 to protect teachers from the indignity of drug testing, two years after a second-grade teacher overdosed on fentanyl in her own classroom, in front of her students.
The Spotsylvania County School Board rejected both a proposal covering all new hires and rehires with direct student contact and a narrower version limited to employees working with elementary and special education students. Board members Rich Lieberman, Larry DiBella, and Lorita Daniels supported the testing requirements. Four colleagues voted against them.
Superintendent Clint Mitchell urged the board to vote no; at a cost of roughly $25,000 per year, he argued, the district would lose teachers to neighboring counties. His remarks, posted to X by local reporter Nick Minock, circulated widely on Wednesday.
🚨 WATCH: Spotsylvania County Superintendent Clint Mitchell gave a passionate argument against drug testing teachers and school staff.
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) July 15, 2026
He says no one would want to work in the school division if drug tests were required. Fairfax, Prince William, Alexandria and other… pic.twitter.com/Y17Gj7rf9k
Mitchell told the board:
"Implementing such a program would completely negate the work that we have done over the last 18 months plus in the school division on teacher retention. I guarantee you that our neighbors, whether it's Stafford, Fredericksburg City, Caroline, Louisa, Orange County, Culpeper, Prince William, they're looking for you to implement such a policy."
He continued.
"You think we have a problem hiring and retaining people and filling positions? You will have vacancies because nobody wants to work here."
The superintendent's argument left Spotsylvania in a revealing position. The district could require a criminal background check, professional credentials, and fingerprints, but a basic drug screen for cocaine, opiates, PCP, and amphetamines was framed as an existential threat to the hiring pipeline. What Mitchell did not address was the incident that prompted the proposal in the first place.
In May 2024, a rehired second-grade teacher overdosed on fentanyl in her classroom at Spotswood Elementary School. She was convicted of possessing drugs at school and being intoxicated in class and received a two-year prison sentence.
"We had a problem two years ago with a rehired teacher who, within a few months, OD'd in her classroom in an elementary school," Lieberman said. "The kids couldn't go back in there for a week. I know one of the families, and it's two years later, and the kids are still traumatized by this whole thing."
DiBella said Spotsylvania should not wait for another Virginia school division to act first. "I just don't think it's wrong to be the first one to do the right thing."
No other Virginia school district conducts drug tests on non-CDL employees. Fairfax County, Prince William County, and Alexandria City confirmed they do not test teachers. School bus drivers are tested under federal rules because they hold safety-sensitive positions. Over the past three years, eight prospective Spotsylvania drivers were denied employment, and four were terminated after failing those tests.
DOJ Steps in After Boys Get Punished for Telling the Truth
Board Chair Megan Jackson cited Fourth Amendment concerns and noted teachers are not legally classified as safety-sensitive under Virginia law. Medawar, a 30-year veteran teacher, called pre-employment testing "insulting" and "a dignity thing." The children who spent a week barred from their own classroom while it was cleaned up after their teacher's overdose were not available to weigh in on the dignity question.
The board was, however, willing to spend over $200,000 to implement the FBI's Rap Back program, which continuously monitors employees' criminal histories. Four members drew the line at a roughly $25,000 annual program requiring new teachers to prove they were not using cocaine, opiates, PCP, or amphetamines before entering a classroom.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
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