For higher education leaders, drug testing is a critical part of protecting employees, students, patients, visitors, interns, trainees, and community members. Robust testing helps institutions manage safety-sensitive roles in
- student health centers;
- counseling centers;
- athletic training;
- transportation;
- campus safety;
- laboratories; and
- public facilities.
Plus, a strong drug testing program helps administrators respond to documented impairment concerns, protect their institutional reputation, and support compliance with federal, state, grant-funded, accreditation, and contract requirements.
Why Employee Drug Testing Looks Different in Higher Education
Colleges and universities manage a workforce that is broader than that of many traditional employers, as a single institution may employ administrative staff, faculty, student workers, and many other employees all at once.
Because these groups do different kinds of work, an employee drug testing program in an educational context should be built around these following steps.
Step 1: Define Covered Roles and Risk Levels Across the Campus Workforce
A higher education drug testing program should begin with a clear review of the institution’s workforce. Not every role carries the same risk profile, and the policy should explain which employee groups are included, when testing may apply, and whether different requirements apply to certain positions.
- Administrative staff, faculty, professors, student workers, and dining employees may fall under general institutional policy.
- Campus police, healthcare workers, counseling center employees, athletic trainers, transportation personnel, laboratory staff, facilities employees, and employees who operate heavy equipment may carry additional safety, patient-facing, student-facing, or compliance considerations.
- Contractors and third-party workers may also need to follow contractual requirements, especially when they work in residence halls, athletic facilities, student health centers, counseling centers, clinics, laboratories, transportation operations, or other sensitive campus environments.
This role-based approach helps reduce confusion, supports consistent administration across departments and campuses, and aligns HR, risk management, and legal teams.
Step 2: Build a Clear, Consistent Employee Drug Testing Policy
Define when testing may occur
A higher education employee drug testing policy should clearly explain when testing may occur. Common testing scenarios include the following types of screening:
- Pre-employment, which helps institutions set expectations before a candidate begins work, depending on applicable law, role requirements, policy, contract terms, and collective bargaining obligations.
- Random testing, which may apply to specific regulated or safety-sensitive groups, depending on law, policy, contracts, or collective bargaining obligations.
- Reasonable suspicion, which involves an active suspicion about possible impairment.
- Post-accident testing, which occurs after an employee is involved in an on-the-job accident that may have caused a fatality, serious injury, or significant property damage.
- Return-to-duty testing, which is administered after an employee has violated a institution’s drug and alcohol policy.
Document substances, specimen types, and procedures
Each institution’s policy should identify the substances included in the testing panel and the specimen types the testing team may use, such as urine or oral fluid, where permitted by law and appropriate for the testing purpose. The policy should also explain collection procedures, chain of custody, confidentiality, MRO review, employee communication, and the method of handling results.
This clarity matters because 1) colleges and universities often have decentralized departments, and 2) state and local laws can affect company-specific drug testing procedures.
Step 3: Balance Employee Support with Organizational Accountability
Include EAP and well-being pathways
An effective higher education program should not feel purely punitive. Rather, it should set expectations, protect the campus community, and give employees clear pathways to seek support.
An EAP (Employee Assistance Program) can help employees seek help before a performance, conduct, or safety issue escalates. The policy should explain how self-referrals, management referrals, confidentiality, return-to-duty expectations, and follow-up requirements work, while clarifying that support pathways do not replace applicable safety, testing, documentation, or compliance steps.
Train supervisors to document objective observations
Supervisors, whether department chairs, facilities supervisors, or otherwise, should be trained to recognize and document objective, observable indicators.
Objective documentation may include observed behavior, speech, appearance, body odor, work performance changes, safety incidents, or other specific facts. However, supervisors should avoid diagnosing medical conditions or making assumptions about substance use.
Step 4: Maintain Documentation and Audit Readiness
Keep records aligned with higher education obligations
Documentation is a major part of higher education risk management. For instance, institutions are required to retain certain drug prevention program records for three years after the fiscal year in which the record was created, and longer if litigation, claims, audits, reviews, or other actions begin before that period expires.
Employee drug testing records should be managed with the same discipline. Colleges and universities should consider maintaining the following:
- policy acknowledgments
- supervisor training logs
- testing records
- reasonable suspicion documentation
- post-accident records
- return-to-duty documentation
- vendor agreements
- chain-of-custody documentation
- communications related to covered programs
Review the program on a regular schedule
A drug testing policy (conducted with all applicable parties) should be reviewed regularly because laws, campus operations, workforce structures, and testing technologies change.
Best Practices for Higher Education HR, Risk, and Healthcare Operations Teams
Use one institutional framework with role-specific addenda
Colleges and universities should consider one central employee drug testing policy, with role-specific packages for safety-sensitive roles (e.g., campus police, healthcare personnel, facilities teams, contractors, and student workers).
Coordinate across departments before incidents occur
HR should not be the only office that understands the program. In the case of a drug-related violation, all staff members should all understand their role in the process.
Make communication part of onboarding and refreshers
Employees should receive the policy during onboarding and when updates occur. Consider implementing explicit acknowledgments, supervisor refreshers, intranet access, and separate communications for safety-sensitive groups, all of which can help reduce surprises and encourage understanding of the program’s purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
A policy should define who is covered, when testing may occur, what substances and specimen types may be used, how results are reviewed, how confidentiality is maintained, and what steps apply after a policy violation. It should also include supervisor documentation procedures, employee support options, and role-specific requirements for regulated or safety-sensitive positions.
Not always. Institutions should consider whether different rules apply to safety-sensitive employees, campus police, healthcare workers, counseling center employees, athletic trainers, facilities employees, transportation employees, contractors, interns, trainees, and student workers. A consistent central policy with role-specific addenda can help reduce confusion.
Reasonable suspicion testing should be based on objective, documented observations. Supervisors should document specific facts, follow the escalation process, avoid medical diagnoses, and arrange safe transportation when an employee should not continue working or driving.
Institutions can set clear rules while also offering EAP referrals, wellness resources, rehabilitation pathways, return-to-duty procedures, and follow-up requirements where permitted by law and policy. This approach supports campus safety and employee well-being.
Because higher education institutions operate in a regulated environment with federal funding, campus safety, grant, accreditation, and employment obligations, documentation supports consistent decision-making, audit readiness, and defensible policy administration.
How DISA Healthcare Can Help
DISA Healthcare supports colleges and universities that need consistent, compliant, and scalable employee screening programs. Through drug testing services, background screening, and healthcare-specific higher education screening solutions, DISA helps institutions manage complex workforce requirements across departments, campuses, and employee groups.
Whether you’re launching a new program or refining an existing one, DISA works alongside your team to implement practical solutions to help protect your campus community and manage workforce risk. For higher education employers, we’ll be your trusted partner to connect your safety-sensitive testing, healthcare compliance needs, contractor screening, and campus-wide HR processes.
Contact DISA Healthcare today to learn how we can help your institution strengthen compliance, support employees, and manage workforce risk with confidence.
