‘Enormous burden’: Idaho House kills bill to mandate drug testing for substitute teachers
A bill that would have required drug testing for substitute teachers in Idaho died in the House on Thursday.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Judy Boyle, a Midvale Republican, was shot down in a narrow, 38-31 vote.
The bill would have barred people who fail a drug test from working as a substitute in any district in the state for one calendar year. A substitute who failed a drug test three times within three years would have been barred from working in any Idaho district for five years.
The bill did not include funding or outline how school districts would have paid for the additional mandate.
During debate on the House floor, Boyle said the bill was an attempt to protect children in the state. She acknowledged the difficulty in finding substitutes, but she said it was important they were tested before working in schools to keep children safe.
“It’s different with teachers. They have a certificate and years of education to protect,” she said. “Substitutes come and go. Most districts have no qualifications other than, you’re 18, you want to sub, let’s go for it. This provides a horrid opportunity for people who want to either solicit drugs to our children, or are on drugs themselves.”
Lawmakers raised concerns about drugs coming into Idaho and said the drug testing requirement would be an easy addition to the process before people can substitute in Idaho schools.
But opponents of the bill said they didn’t see the need for the requirement and noted that substitutes undergo background checks before working in schools.
In a committee meeting last week, Boyle told lawmakers substitute teaching “is a very easy way to access children and sell drugs to them.” Law enforcement officials had told state legislators that they didn’t know of any examples of substitute teachers selling drugs in Idaho.
“I’m speaking on behalf of the two school districts in my district, who see this as just another enormous burden in their attempt to get substitutes in their schools,” Idaho Falls Republican Rep. Gary Marshall said.
Other opponents pointed out that the vast majority of substitutes are people who are planning to enter the profession.
Lawmakers said the shortage of substitutes became even clearer this year during the COVID-19 pandemic, when some schools shut down because so many staff members were out sick and districts couldn’t find enough substitutes to fill their spots.
“No profession is perfect. No occupation is perfect,” Rep. Matthew Bundy said. “But substitute teachers are highly qualified, very skilled at what they do and very proud of what they do. And we couldn’t function without them.”
