Click here to view text of new school substance abuse policy

Middle School and High School students participating in extra curricular activities next school year will do so under a new substance abuse policy.

The School Board approved the new policy at their June 13 meeting, after a review of current alcohol and substance abuse policies conducted by an ad hoc committee of High School and Middle School representatives, members of the High School Student Advisory Committee, and members of the School Board.

The new substance abuse policy extends the previous policy, which applied to student athletes, to students participating in any extracurricular activity. The policy requires these students and their parents to attend an informational meeting at the beginning of the school year, and to sign an agreement to abide by the rules of the policy. Attendance at the meeting and signing of the agreement will be prerequisites for participation in extracurricular and athletic activities for the school year.

Activities covered by the policy will be outlined in each of the schools' student handbooks.

The policy prohibits certain conduct revolving around the use, possession, manufacture or selling of tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs. The policy outlines unacceptable conduct, prohibited substances, and consequences for violating the signed agreement.

During the first year of the new policy at least, a second informational meeting for parents and students will be held at the beginning of the winter sports season. "We did this in response to a concern that if we are making it mandatory for students to participate in extracurricular activities that we should at least initially attempt to accommodate as many people as we can," said School Board member Trish Brigham. Brigham chaired the committee that drafted the new policy.

The new policy will be evaluated in one year.