| Sylvania City School District |
| Bylaws & Policies |
5530 - DRUG PREVENTION
The Board of Education recognizes that the misuse of drugs is a serious problem with legal, physical, and social implications for the whole school community.
As the educational institution of this community, the schools should strive to prevent drug abuse and help drug abusers by educational, rather than punitive, means.
For purposes of this policy, "drugs" shall mean:
| A. | all dangerous controlled substances as so designated and prohibited by Ohio statute; | |
| B. | all chemicals which release toxic vapors; | |
| C. | all alcoholic beverages; | |
| D. | any prescription or patent drug, except those for which permission to use in school has been granted pursuant to Board policy; | |
| E. | anabolic steroids; | |
| F. | any substance that is a "look-alike" to any of the above; | |
| G. | any substance that is a counterfeit. |
The Board prohibits the use, possession, concealment, or distribution of any drug on school grounds, on school vehicles, and at any school-sponsored event.
It further establishes a drug-free zone within 1000 feet of any facility used by the District for educational purposes.
The Superintendent shall prepare guidelines for the identification, amelioration, and regulation of drug use in the schools. Such guidelines shall:
| A. | emphasize the prevention of drug use; | |
| B. | provide for a comprehensive, age-appropriate, developmentally-based drug and alcohol education and prevention program which: |
| 1. | addresses the legal, social, psychological, and health consequences of drug and alcohol use; | ||
| 2. | provides information about effective techniques for resisting peer pressure to use illicit drugs and alcohol; | ||
| 3. | assists students to develop skills to make responsible decisions about substance abuse and other important health issues; | ||
| 4. | promotes positive emotional health, self-esteem, and respect for one's body; | ||
| 5. | meets the minimal objectives as stated in the essential performance objectives for health education as established by the State Department of Education. |
| C. | include a statement to students that the use of illicit drugs and the unlawful possession and use of alcohol is wrong and harmful; | |
| D. | provide standards of conduct that are applicable to all students and which clearly prohibit, at a minimum, the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students on school premises or as a part of any school activity; | |
| E. | include a clear statement that disciplinary sanctions, up to and including expulsion and referral for prosecution, will be imposed on students who violate the school standards of conduct and a description of those sanctions; | |
| The sanctions may include, together with punitive action, voluntary referral to appropriate persons or agencies for screening and assessment. Such referral may only be made to qualified and properly licensed individuals or programs. | ||
| F. | provide information about any drug and alcohol counseling and rehabilitation and reentry programs available to students and provide procedures to direct students and their parents to the appropriate programs; | |
| G. | require that all parents and students be given a copy of the standards of conduct regarding the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students; | |
| H. | require the notification to parents and students that compliance with the standards of conduct is mandatory; | |
| I. | provide a biennial review of the School District's program to determine its effectiveness and implement changes as needed and to ensure that disciplinary sanctions are consistently enforced; | |
| J. | provide for a student assistance program which includes guidelines for prevention, intervention, referral, treatment, and after-care. Such a program must be comprehensive in nature addressing all issues affecting students' academic, social, and emotional well being in the educational setting which may negatively affect behavior and interfere with their ability to learn; | |
| K. | establish means for dealing with students suspected of drug use or suspected of possessing or distributing drugs in school and ensure that the District's policy and administrative guidelines on Search and Seizure (5771), Suspension and Expulsion (5610), and Permanent Exclusion (5610.01) are complied with fully. |
Administrative guidelines developed by the Superintendent shall provide that:
| A. | in all cases involving the students and drugs, the need to protect the school community from undue harm and exposure to drugs shall be balanced against the need to guard the due process rights of the individual and the opportunity to rehabilitate a member of society within a wholesome school environment; | |
| B. | in the discipline of students involved with drugs, the following factors should be considered and should serve to mitigate such punitive sanctions as are imposed: |
| 1. | the potential harm of the specific drug itself, the physical hazard posed by it, and its tendency to habituate users | ||
| 2. | the degree and kind of involvement with drugs evidenced by the activities of the student offender; the number of other students affected by him/her; and his/her possible profit motive | ||
| 3. | the number of times the student has been disciplined for drug involvement previously | ||
| 4. | the overall disciplinary record of the student |
| C. | notations concerning involvement with drugs may be entered on a student's records, except that all such notations shall be expunged when they are no longer necessary for the counseling of the student or when the student leaves school. |
The Superintendent shall designate a committee to observe and work with community organizations concerned with the study of causes, occurrences, and implications of drug use in the schools.
The Superintendent shall develop a curriculum for instruction in the harmful effects of and legal restrictions against the use of drugs of abuse, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco for students at each grade level and conduct such in-service training programs for staff members necessary to ensure effective teaching about drugs and assistance to students with drug problems.
The Superintendent shall take such steps as may be necessary to notify all students likely to be affected, their parents, and appropriate law enforcement agency, of the Board policy on the use of drugs.
R.C. 2925.37, 3313.60 (E), 3313.661, 3313.662 3313.752, 3313.95, 3319.19.012
Public Law 101 - (Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act as amended in 1989)