5530.01 - DRUG TESTING
The Mission of Greensburg Community Schools
The mission of the Greensburg Community Schools is to serve individuals and the community by developing in all students the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes which will enable them to lead productive and fulfilling lives in our complex and changing society.
It is further the belief of the Greensburg Community Schools that the public school, in providing for the best educational opportunities for all students, must foster an atmosphere conducive to an overall learning environment. In so doing, the schools must join together with the community to create a wholesome and healthful environment for all people.
To that end Greensburg Community Schools enacts this Extracurricular Activities Drug Testing Program and Policy effective August 15, 1999. This program does not affect the current policies, practices, or rights of Greensburg Community Schools with drug and/or alcohol possession or use, where reasonable suspicion is obtained by means other than drug testing through this policy. Greensburg Community Schools reserves the right to test any student who at anytime exhibits cause for reasonable suspicion of drug and/or alcohol usage.
Reasonable Concern
Greensburg Community Schools has a strong commitment to the health, safety and welfare of its students. Results of studies throughout the United States, and an increased substance abuse problem in Greensburg, Indiana, indicate that education alone, as a preventive measure, is not effective in combating substance abuse. Our commitment to maintaining the extracurricular activities in Greensburg Community Schools as a safe and secure educational environment requires a clear policy and supportive programs relating to detection, treatment, and prevention of substance abuse by students involved in extracurricular activities.
Purpose
The drug-testing program is not intended to be disciplinary or punitive in nature. Students involved in extracurricular activities need to be exemplary in the eyes of the community and other students. It is the purpose of this program to prevent students from participating in extracurricular activities while s/he has drug residues in his/her body. And it is the purpose of this program to educate, help, and direct students away from drug and alcohol abuse and toward a healthy and drug free participation. No student shall be expelled or suspended as a result of any verified "positive" test conducted by his/her school under this program other than stated herein.
Scope
Participation in extracurricular activities is a privilege. This policy applies to all Greensburg Community Schools students in grades 9- 12 who wish to participate in extracurricular activities that are listed in the current student handbook and any other school sponsored extracurricular activities not listed. It also includes any student who wishes to drive to school, from school or during school.
Legal Obligation
Indiana Code 20-8.1-7 sets forth health measures to be governed by school officials. Most specifically, I.C. 20-8.7-2 establishes responsibility of schools to assist children found to be ill or in need of treatment
Drug Education
The sponsor or coach of each extracurricular activity will require the attendance of all prospective participants at one (1) or more drug education sessions. Each prospective participant shall receive a copy of this policy. This policy will be explained to them at that time. An educational presentation will also be made to educate the student about the harmful effects and consequences of alcohol and other drug abuse. Students will receive information as to where they can seek professional help, if needed for a use or abuse problem.
Consent Form
It is mandatory that each student who participates in extracurricular activities sign and return the "consent form" prior to participation in any extracurricular activity. Failure to comply will result in non-participation. Each extracurricular participant shall be provided with a "consent form", a copy of which is attached hereto, which shall be dated and signed by the participant and by the parent/guardian. In so doing, the student is agreeing to participate in the random drug-testing program at Greensburg Community Schools.
Testing Procedure
The selection of participants to be tested will be done randomly by the principal/administrative designee, and selections will be made from time to time throughout the school year. Names will be drawn from one (1) large pool of those agreeing to be tested. Testing may occur on a different day, Monday through Saturday. This variable schedule will keep students conscious of the possibility of being tested at any time during the year. Each student will be assigned to a number that will be placed in the drawing.
If the student shows signs or reasonable suspicion, the principal/administrative designee may call the student’s parent/guardian and ask that the student be tested. Factors will include but are not limited to, excessive discipline problems and/or excessive absences from school. Also, a parent/guardian may request testing of his/her student.
No student will be given advance notice or early warning of the testing. In addition, a strict chain of custody will be enforced to eliminate invalid tests or outside influences.
Upon being selected for a urinalysis test under this policy, either by random draw, reasonable suspicion, request of a parent/guardian, or a "follow-up test", a student will be required to provide a sample of "fresh" urine according to the quality control standards and policy of the laboratory conducting the urinalysis.
All students will remain under school supervision until they have produced an adequate urine specimen. If unable to produce a specimen, the student will be given up to twenty-four (24) ounces of fluid. If still unable to produce a specimen within two (2) hours, the student will be taken to the principal’s office and told s/he is no longer eligible for any of the extracurricular activities. In addition, the parents/guardian will be telephoned and informed the student is unable to produce a sample for the testing procedure and that s/he may be tested at a later date to be reinstated for eligibility.
All specimens registering below 90.5 degrees or above 98.8 degrees Fahrenheit will be invalid. There is a heat strip on each of the specimen bottles indicating the validity of the urine specimen by temperature. If this occurs, the student must give another specimen.
If it is proven that tampering or cheating has occurred during the collection, the student will become ineligible for all the "extracurricular activities" for the remainder of the school year. This will be reported to the parent/guardian.
Immediately after the specimen is taken, the student may return to class with an admit slip or pass with the time s/he left the collection site. The principal/administrative designee must time and sign the pass.
The specimens will then be turned over to the testing laboratory, and each specimen will be tested for alcohol, nicotine, and "street drugs"(which may include all drugs listed as controlled substances under the laws of the State of Indiana). Also "performance enhancing" drugs such as steroids may be tested.
The laboratory selected must follow the standards set by the Department of Health and Human Services. It must be certified under the auspices of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) and the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).
Chain of Custody
The certified laboratory will provide training and direction to those who supervise the testing program, set-up the collection environment, and guarantee specimens and supervise the chain-of-custody. To maintain anonymity, the student’s number, not name will be used.
The principal/administrative designee will be responsible for escorting students to the collection site. The student should bring all materials with him/her to the collection site and should not be allowed to go to his/her locker. The administrator should not bring all the students drawn from the pool to the collection simultaneously. Calling four (4) or five (5) students at a time allows the collections to be carried out quickly and will not cause students to wait a long time, thereby creating a loss or important time from class. Athletes may be called after school, perhaps during practice time).
Before the student’s urine sample is tested by the laboratory, the student will agree to fill out, sign and date any form which may be required by the testing laboratory. If a students chooses, s/he may notify the administrator that s/he is taking a prescription medication.
A sanitized kit containing a specimen bottle will be given to each student. The bottle will remain in the student’s possession until a seal is placed upon the bottle. The student will sign that the specimen has been sealed. The seal may be broken only by the lab testing the specimen.
If the seal is tampered with or broken, after leaving the student’s possession and prior to arriving at the lab, the specimen is invalid. The student will be called again as soon as possible. The student will remain eligible for extracurricular activities subsequent to a retest.
The supervisor obtaining the urine specimen will be of the same gender as the student. Students will be instructed to remove all coats and wash their hands in the presence of the supervisor prior to entering the restroom. The door will be closed so that the student is by himself/herself in the restroom to provide a urine specimen. The supervisor will wait outside the restroom. The student will have two (2) minutes to produce a urine specimen. The commode will contain a blue dye so the water cannot be used to delete the sample. The faucets in the restroom will be shut off.
After it has been sealed, the specimen will be transported to the testing laboratory by lab personnel. The testing laboratory will report the results back to the principal/administrative designee.
In order to maintain confidentiality, the container which contains the urine specimen to be tested will not have the name of the student on the container. Instead, the student’s random identification number will appear of the container. Also the results sheet for the urinalysis will be mailed back to the principal/administrative designee with no name attached; only the students random identification number will appear on the results sheet.
Test Results
This program seeks to provide needed help for students who have a verified "positive" Test. The student’s health, welfare, and safety will be the reason for preventing students from participation in extracurricular activities.
The principal/administrative designee will be notified of a student testing "positive" (that is, if the test shows that drug residues are in the student’s system after using at least two (2) different types of analysis). The principal/administrative designee will notify the student and his/her parent/guardian. The student or his/her parent/guardian may submit any documented prescription, explanation, or information which will be considered in determining whether a "positive" test has been satisfactorily explained.
In addition, the student or parent/guardian may appeal by requesting that the urine specimen be tested again by the certified laboratory at a cost to the student or his/her parent/guardian.
If the test is verified "positive", the principal/administrative designee will meet with the student and his/her parent/guardian at a school corporation facility. The student and parent/guardian will be given the names of counseling and assistance agencies that the family may want to contact for help. The student will be prevented from participating in extracurricular activities until after a "follow-up" test is requested by the principal/administrative designee and results are reported. A "follow-up" test will be requested by the principal/administrative designee after such an interval of time that the substance previously found would normally have been eliminated from the body. If this "follow-up" test is negative, the student will be allowed to resume extracurricular activities. If a second "positive" result is obtained from the "follow-up" test, or any later test of that participant, the same previous procedure shall be followed. In addition, Greensburg Community Schools reserves the right to continue testing at any time during the remaining school year any participating student who tested "positive" and did not make satisfactory explanation.
Information on a verified "positive" test result will be shared on a "need to know" basis with the student’s coach or sponsor. The results of the "negative" tests will be kept confidential to protect the identity of all students being tested.
Drug testing result sheets will be returned to the principal/administrative designee identifying students by number and not by name. Names of students tested will not be kept in open files or on any computer. Result sheets will be locked and secured in a location that only the principal/administrative designee has access to.
Financial Responsibility
Under this policy, Greensburg Community Schools will use none of its general funds to pay for any or all expenditures encounterd as a result of this program/policy. Funding shall be secured from external sources. Only upon the approval of the source of funding, shall this program/policy be enacted. "Funding" shall include any or all initial random drug tests, all initial reasonable suspicion drug tests, and all initial reasonable "follow-up" drug tests. Any associated paperwork or other incidental costs incurred in enforcing this program/policy shall be included in this external source of funding. (Once a student has a verified "positive" test result and has subsequently tested negative from a "follow-up" test, any future "follow-up" drug test that must be conducted will be paid for by said student or his/her parent/legal guardian).
Counseling and subsequent treatment by non-school agencies is the financial responsibility of the student or his/her parent/guardian.
Confidentiality
Under this drug testing program, any staff, coach or sponsor of Greensburg Community Schools who may have knowledge of the results of a drug test will not divulge to anyone the results of the test or the disposition of the student involved, other than in the case of a legal subpoena being made upon that person in the course of a legal investigation. Once again, this will underscore the Greensburg Community Schools commitment to confidentiality with regards to the program.
Other Rules
Apart from this drug-testing program Greensburg High School Athletic Association and the coaching staff/sponsor of each sport/activity have their own training rules and requirements. Coaches/sponsors have the necessary authority to enforce those rules. Any student who violates a rule or requirement as a member of a team or activity will be subject to the consequences as defined in those rules and requirements.