Athletic Procedures
A. First Offense
Use, attempt to use, possess, sell or assist any other student in the use of tobacco/tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, or any form of a controlled substance (drugs, look-alikes, drug paraphernalia) other than those prescribed by a physician for that student. The athlete will be suspended for 40% of the contests in his/her current season or the first scheduled sport in which the individual participates. The athlete and parents/guardians may enroll in an educational program. Documentation of successful completion of an approved program within 60 days of the code meeting to the Prevention & Wellness Coordinator or Social Worker will result in a 30% suspension of the contests/competitions. Failure to successfully complete the program, as determined by the Prevention & Wellness Coordinator/ Social Worker and Athletic Director, will result in the athlete serving the original consequence. The 10% may be added to the next sport season for non-completion of the approved educational program.
• Self-Reporting – For an offense involving any of the substances listed in First Offense number 1, an athlete or parent may voluntarily admit an athletic code violation to the Athletic Director provided the following:
• Self-reporting may be used one (1) time only in the athlete’s entire high school career and only with regard to a first violation.
• An athlete cannot self-report an incident for avoidance of a penalty.
• An athlete cannot self-report an incident which the school already has or will become aware of or shall be informed of by other means, including but not limited to, notification by judicial or law enforcement agencies.
• Athletes who self-report will be subject to a 20% loss of contests in their current season or the first sport in which they participate. The consequence may be reduced to 10% suspension of the season’s contests/competitions if the athlete signs up for and successfully completes a school approved educational program.
• Self-reporting of a first offense will not be recorded as a violation provided the individual maintains behaviors consistent with expectations/standards of the current Student/Parent Handbook and remains in compliance with CHSD 128 rules and policies for a full calendar year for the date of the initial reporting. Should a violation occur within a calendar year this will then be considered a second violation.
• Athletes who believe they have a substance abuse problem are encouraged to seek help by voluntarily contacting the social worker, a counselor, a member of the school’s Prevention & Wellness team, or a member of the administration. Participation in a recognized substance abuse program is valuable for the student but cannot be used to escape responsibility for sanctions under this policy.
2. Behavior/Citizenship, as described in V-1.B above will result in the student being suspended from 10 – 40% (see explanation below) of his/her current athletic season or the first scheduled sport in which the individual participates.
3. During an athletic suspension, the athlete is expected to attend and participate in all required practices and successfully complete the season. The athlete will only attend contests/competitions as a spectator during his/her suspension.
B. Second Offense
Two violations of the Code of Conduct for the use, attempt to use, possess, sell or assist any other student in the use of tobacco/tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, or any form of a controlled substance (drugs, look-alikes, drug paraphernalia) other than those prescribed by a physician for that student is considered a second offense. The athlete will be suspended for 80% of the contests in his/her current season or the first scheduled sport in which the individual participates. At the discretion of the Code Council, the duration of a suspension due to a second offense may be reduced if one of the two infractions involves a behavior/citizenship violation. The athlete and parents/guardians may enroll in an approved assessment/educational program. Documentation of successful completion of an approved assessment/program within 60 days of the code meeting to the Prevention & Wellness Coordinator or Social Worker will result in a 60% suspension of the contests/competitions. Failure to successfully complete the program, as determined by the Prevention & Wellness Coordinator/ Social Worker and Athletic Director, will result in the athlete serving the original consequence. The 20% may be added to the next sport season for non-completion of the approved educational program.
C. Third Offense
A third offense will result in total exclusion from all extracurricular activities for the remainder of the student’s high school career. There will be no option to petition for reinstatement into the athletic program.
D. Appeal Process
Any student who feels that his/her rights have been violated may appeal the suspension in writing to the building principal. The appeal must be made within three (3) school days of the suspension code meeting. The Principal or his/her designee will establish the appeal process, review the appeal within five (5) school days of receiving the appeal and determine the final result of the appeal which will be communicated to the student and parents/guardians. The decision of the Principal is final.
This policy and procedure will be made available to all students and parents/guardians in the Student/Parent Handbook as well as on the District Website and will be discussed with the students by their coach, sponsor, or activity advisor no later than the first meeting of the activity in that year or at a mandatory parent meeting prior to the start of the sport, student activity or fine arts activity. Students will be required to sign a form indicating that they have read and understood the penalties of a code of conduct violation.