R-5 board OKs new drug testing policy for students

The Nevada R-5 Board of Education met Tuesday to approve a new drug-testing policy for the district. The new policy affects all students participating in any extra-curricular or co-curricular activity.

Co-curricular activities are defined as activities that students participate in outside of the classroom as a result of being enrolled in a school offered class. Extracurricular activities are activities that take place outside the regular course of study in school.

Dr. David Stephens said the board was glad they were able to get the policy in place for the upcoming school year.

"We're excited about it," Stephens said. "It's strong and it gives kids a reason to say no to drugs."

The policy gives the rationale for it in the statement of purpose and intent.

" The purpose of this policy is to prevent illegal drug use and to strive within the Nevada R-V School District for an environment free of illegal drug use and abuse. . ." the policy states.

Another paragraph says: "Illegal drug use of any kind is incompatible with participation in extracurricular and/or co-curricular activities of the Nevada R-V School District. For safety, health and well being of the students of the Nevada R-V School District, the district has adopted this policy for use by all students participating in off-season and/or in-season extracurricular and/or co-curricular activities in grades 7-12."

Any student wishing to participate in any activity must read, sign and turn in a consent form to the high school office within two weeks of the start of school or they will not be allowed to start, or continue if they have already started, any activity or practice. They will be ineligible to participate in any activity the rest of the school year.

Stephens said the reason to have a firm cutoff date for the consent form was to ensure that students would not try to get by without signing until just before an activity they wished to participate in was about to begin.

"Our administrators will make every effort to get kids to realize the consequences of their actions," Stephens said. "They have to make a commitment to this at the beginning of the year."

Selection for drug testing will be on a random selection basis from a list of all students in off-season and/or in-season activities. Selection may also occur at any time based on reasonable suspicion of illegal drug use. Up to 15 students in grades 9-12 and up to 15 students in grades 7-8 may be randomly selected to provide a urine sample. This process will take place up to twice a month during the school year.

If the first test shows a 'non-negative' result the test will be verified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry test before being labeled as positive. Once a positive is determined, the student will become ineligible to practice or compete in any extra- or co-curricular activity for the prescribed time period.

There is an appeal process that allows students or their parents to several opportunities to refute the results of the tests, up to an appeal to the school board.

Violations result in escalating penalties, the more times a student violates the policy, the harsher the penalty. For the first offense: Loss of participation for 20 percent of contests/activities. Second offense: Loss of participation for 75 percent of contests/activities which can be reduced to 40 percent if the student undergoes 10 hours of drug/alcohol counseling or rehabilitation (at the parents expense) and 20 hours of community service, outside of the instructional day, before he/she can be eligible to participate in contests/activities again. Third offense: 365 day suspension with 10 hours of mandatory drug/alcohol counseling or rehabilitation (at the parents' expense.)