FILE: GAMED
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) will be necessary should the St. Landry Parish School Board decide to reconsider immediate termination of an employee who tests positive and allow that employee to submit to rehabilitative treatment for addiction. An employee assistance program could also assist employees with substance abuse problems who choose to volunteer for assistance. Through this option, the School Board encourages early intervention and treatment for chemical dependency or abuse of chemicals by employees.
Employee Assistance Program's Duties:
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) shall serve as a liaison between the School Board and the following:
Employment applicants required to submit to a drug screen;
Employees who volunteer to enter substance abuse rehabilitation;
Employees who test positive on any drug screening test;
Drug testing companies;
Medical review officers;
Substance abuse treatment facilities.
During the regular course of duties, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) shall offer short-term counseling and referral services to employees for problems including drug, alcohol, and mental health. The EAP shall monitor employees while they are in treatment and then monitor their progress when they return to the workplace.
The EAP shall maintain strict confidentiality at all times when providing services to employees. Federal, state and local laws regulating confidentiality shall be upheld at all times. Employee files pertaining to substance abuse shall be maintained in locked files separate from their personnel file.
The EAP shall work closely with drug testing companies to set up logistics for drug testing, and shall ensure that School Board policies, state and federal laws are strictly enforced. Scheduling for pre-employment, random, post-accident, and reasonable suspicion drug testing shall be a primary duty of the EAP.
Supervisors, administrators, and employees shall be trained by the EAP and the DFSC Coordinator in recognizing signs and symptoms of chemical dependency. Supervisors shall be trained in documenting incidence of suspected abuse by employees.
Voluntary Treatment:
The Employee Assistance Program and the DFSC Program shall provide all employees with awareness programs and recognition of the signs, symptoms, and problems associated with drug abuse and chemical dependency. Employees shall be provided with an effective intervention program that will lead to rehabilitation and return to a healthy lifestyle.
Employees who voluntarily submit themselves to the Employee Assistance Program for referral to treatment shall not have their employment or job security interrupted or jeopardized due to assessment, treatment, or outpatient counseling. Employees who voluntarily submit shall be eligible to use their accumulative sick days or go on leave without pay for duration of treatment.
Employees who enter a treatment program as a result of a referral by the Employee Assistance Program shall be completely liable for all expenses that they incur as a result of the treatment that they receive.
Any assistance provided to an employee by the EAP shall be confidential, and referrals of employees shall be made only to qualified and approved chemical dependency units.
Involuntary Treatment:
Employees shall be referred to the EAP if a confirmed positive test result is indicated. The Medical Review Officer, provided by the drug testing company, shall inform the EAP of the employee's positive drug test.
As a condition of employment, an employee with a confirmed positive drug test shall be required to take an unpaid leave of absence for an indefinite period for rehabilitation purposes. The employee shall remain on unpaid leave of absence until the EAP approved treatment facility recommends in writing that the employee is drug and alcohol free.
If an employee is referred to the EAP due to a positive drug test, the EAP shall implement the following:
Employee is evaluated and referred to an approved treatment program for assessment which will include additional drug testing.
The employee may undergo outpatient or inpatient treatment as directed by the treatment facility.
Employees must sign an agreement for the treatment unit to share information with the EAP. This information shall be kept confidential by the EAP. All files pertaining to EAP services shall be kept separate from the employee's personnel file and access shall be given only on a "need to know" basis.
Following discharge from treatment, the EAP provider shall continue to monitor the employee and to provide assistance when deemed appropriate. Employees who have tested positive and completed a treatment program shall be required to submit to periodic drug testing as part of the counseling and follow-up program by the EAP.
An employee who refuses assessment, counseling, or treatment, or an employee who does not comply with all the directives of a treatment center pertaining to aftercare will be subject to termination from employment. An employee who undergoes treatment and relapses shall be subject to immediate termination from employment when a drug test confirms drug or alcohol use.
Employees who have tested positive and then completed a treatment program shall be held to a higher standard of proof for being drug-free for a period of sixty (60) months. During this period they may be tested more frequently than their drug-free peers.
Supervisors shall use established School Board approved evaluation procedures to identify performance that is below "satisfactory." If the supervisor making the evaluation rates the employee in need of improvement or unsatisfactory and suspects substance abuse, the employee shall be referred to the EAP. Such a referral is considered involuntary.
Recoded: February, 2003
Ref: Board minutes, 3-24-94
St. Landry Parish School Board