Athletes and student drivers in the Butler School District will soon be subject to random drug testing.

Monday night, the Butler School Board voted 8-1 to implement a drug testing policy modeled after existing policies in the Mars and Seneca Valley school districts.

Solicitor Tom King said Mars implemented a policy on a similar timeline to Butler, and that the drug testing in Butler should begin this school year.

Much remains to be done in the meantime. The school needs to put out a formal request from vendors for pricing plans.

Superintendent Brian White said the tests will likely be about $30. The district has set aside $10,000 in its general fund for the testing, he said.

The Butler Eagle incorrectly reported over the weekend that parents will be responsible for paying for the drug tests. The district will pay for the tests.

If a student fails that first test — which is paid for by the district — and is booted from a privilege such as driving or playing football, the parents would have to pay for any subsequent tests to have the student regain eligibility, the new policy states.

The one dissenting vote against the policy was cast by Suzie Bradrick, who said she wasn’t able to access the document off the district’s website. She also attempted a vote to table the matter, which failed.

“I’m uncomfortable voting on something that I haven’t read,” Bradrick said.

Other board members said they did not share Bradrick’s difficulty.

Besides finding a vendor, the board plans to further discuss the exact disciplinary process that results from a positive test. The approved policy refers to another document detailing the exact testing process which, as board member Jennifer Cummings pointed out, “does not exist yet.” That document is on the board’s to-do list.

The policy demands drug testing only from voluntary student activities that aren’t related to grades. Sports and driving are included, but not band, which is a class. King said that stipulation makes the rule comply with a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the subject. The decision also specifies that the district cannot test all of its students universally, he said.

Students wanting to do something that requires drug testing will have to opt-in to a list of drug testing candidates. The vendor will use a computerized randomization to choose which students are tested. They’ll be tested during the school day.

The exact number of testing rounds and number of children tested will be up to the district and will be determined by budget constraints, White said.

Beyond drug testing, the board welcomed two new principals to the school district. Lesley Fidler is starting at Summit Elementary School at a $94,104 salary. Hull Hope will be at Connoquenessing Elementary School at $75,283. Fidler has five years of experience over Hope, according to the board’s agenda documents.