Drug Testing

The Douglas County School District along with the NIAA has adopted the alcohol, tobacco and other drug possession, use and abuse policy in cooperation with the Nevada Juvenile Justice Programs Office and the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association. We feel this program is one of sound education components for pre-participation and also for first and second violations. We want to insure that all student athletes remain free from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs during their high school years.

Please understand that participation in high school athletics is a privilege, not a right, and that underage drinking and use of controlled substances is against the law. It is against the law to sell tobacco to people under the age of 18 and usage is against school policy. Substances abuse negatively impacts athletic and academic performance, and research indicates that early onset of alcohol use increases the occurrence of addiction in adulthood four times. Alcohol, tobacco and other drug use interfere in learning processes and brain development and increase the chance of physical injury while participating in athletic activities. Due to these risks, and in addition to the laws of the State of Nevada, the NIAA requires athletes and parents to view the Power Point presentation and adhere to the policy that will be presented at the conclusion of the presentation.

Approved 8/04

Pursuant to DCSD Board Policy 216, participation in co-curricular and extracurricular student activities is a privilege and requires those involved being responsible for meeting certain expectations.

Student participants are expected to:

• Be role models for others.
• Respect officials and accept their decisions.
• Remember that it is a privilege and a responsibility to represent the school and community.
• Respect and cooperate with those who administer the competition.
• Respect the judgment and decisions of coaches and game officials.
• Engage in sportsmanlike conduct at all times.
• Follow all school rules, District policies, and NIAA rules.
• Sign and adhere to the established Extracurricular and Co-curricular Activity Contract for Douglas County School District.
• Bring problems and concerns to the attention of the coach/advisor first.
• Adhere to all eligibility requirements described in the section below.

Students and their parent or guardian must sign and follow the District wide student contract in order to participate. It is the student’s responsibility to honor the contract.

Parents, community members, and student spectators are expected to:

• Be role models for others.
• Respect officials and accept their decisions.
• Respect and cooperate with those who administer the competition.
• Respect the judgment and decisions of coaches and game officials.
• Follow all school rules, District policies, and NIAA rules.
• Bring problems and concerns to the attention of the coach/advisor first.

The Douglas County School District has the right to exclude students, parents, and community members who do not comply with the above expectations. Students must follow all school rules while involved in any school-sanctioned activities and are subject to regular school consequences given due process as set forth in the Administrative Regulation to Board Policy No. 529.

Coaches and advisors are expected to:

• Determine position and playing time of all participants in competition based on proven skills, participation in practice, academic standing (2.0 GPA and no F’s), and established team rules, expectations, and attitudes. GPA is calculated using the following point system: A = 4; B = 3; C = 2; D = 1; and F = 0.
• Follow all District policies. Acknowledge their understanding and willingness to adhere to this specific Policy and Regulation by signing it prior to working with students.
• Establish and adhere to objective, equitable criteria for student selection.
• Have mandatory two-day tryouts where students compete for available positions based on established, written criteria in the event student participation is limited. The decision of the coach or advisor in choosing a team is final. The process may be reviewed by an administrator.
• Establish, disseminate (prior to the start of the season or activity), and adhere to clear written standards for student lettering.
• Conduct themselves as professional, responsible role models who represent the District.
• Consider appropriately provided feedback from students and parents.
• Ensure student safety.
• Have a signed District Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Activity Contract for every student participant prior to the student’s participation.
• Follow all NIAA rules, regulations, eligibility standards, and criteria in the case of athletics.
• Hold students accountable to the eligibility criteria described below for all programs.
• Have their efforts evaluated by the appropriate site administrator using a standard form established by the School District. The evaluation will be based on the criteria established by these regulations.
• Have their athletic program evaluated by the Athletic Director.

Student Eligibility:

• Any student receiving below a 2.0 GPA at the semester will be ineligible for the first nine weeks of the ensuing sport season. This ineligibility must include at least one regularly scheduled contest (scrimmages not included).
• Any student receiving an "F" during a three-week eligibility check will be placed on probationary status for a period of one week. If at the end of the probationary period, the grade is still an "F," the student will be ineligible for a minimum of one week (Monday to Monday) and until he/she receives passing grades for all classes. If at the three-week eligibility check, a student has two "F’s," he/she will immediately be ineligible for three weeks.
• If a student in a co-curricular program is ineligible to participate in a graded activity necessary for course credit, the advisor will provide an alternative activity for which the student will receive a grade to be counted for course credit.
• Students in Douglas County schools must successfully complete a minimum of two credits (four subjects) during any semester to be eligible for the following semester. Students failing to do so shall be ineligible for one semester unless they are passing two units of credit at the nine-week grading period, at which time they will be placed on weekly probation. If at any time during the probationary period, the student receives a failing grade, the student shall become ineligible for the remainder of the semester without further recourse.
• A student may repeat a course provided he/she receives permission from the secondary school administration or designee. A student shall not receive additional credit for the repeated course. Both grades will appear on the permanent record with the notation that the course has been repeated.

Legal Review:
NAC 386.805

Adopted: 07/83
Revised: 08/86
Revised: 01/94
Revised: 08/02
Revised: 03/04
Revised: 10/11

Douglas County School District supports and encourages participation by students in co-curricular and extracurricular student activities.

The purposes of these activities are to support academic programs, develop intellectual and physical skills, and provide life-long lessons in goal setting, positive competition, and sportsmanship.

All learning experiences offered by the schools of this district, curricular and extra-curricular, should be planned and implemented in support of the attainment of the Board’s objectives.

Extracurricular activities are supervised by a sponsor or coach who receives a stipend and they include performance or competitions held off school campus.

Co-curricular activities are supervised by a sponsor or coach who receives a stipend. They include performances or competitions held off school campus, and they involve a course for which students receive credit. Student involvement beyond the school day is required for successful course completion.

Club activities are supervised by a sponsor who does not receive a stipend and the club’s off campus activities may or may not occur during the school day.

In addition, Administrative Regulation 523(a), Drug/Alcohol Abuse, and Administrative Regulation 544, Random Drug and Alcohol Testing of Students in Co-curricular and Extracurricular activities, apply to all co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

References: Board Policy 103
Board Policy 520
Board Policy 523
Board Policy 525
Board Policy 529, 529(A)
Board Policy 532
Date Adopted: 08/12/80
Date Revised: 11/14/89
Date Revised: 01/94
Date Revised: 09/00
Date Revised: 2/9/10

NRS 202.020 Purchase, consumption or possession of alcoholic beverage by minor.

1. Any person under 21 years of age who purchases any alcoholic beverage or any such person who consumes any alcoholic beverage in any saloon, resort or premises where spirituous, malt or fermented liquors or wines are sold is guilty of a misdemeanor.
2. Any person under 21 years of age who, for any reason, possesses any alcoholic beverage in public is guilty of a misdemeanor.
3. This section does not preclude a local governmental entity from enacting by ordinance an additional or broader restriction.
4. For the purposes of this section, possession “in public” includes possession: 
   (a) On any street or highway; 
   (b) In any place open to the public; and 
   (c) In any private business establishment which is in effect open to the public.
5. The term does not include: 
   (a) Possession for an established religious purpose; 
   (b) Possession in the presence of the person’s parent, spouse or legal guardian who is 21 years of age or older; 
   (c) Possession in accordance with a prescription issued by a person statutorily authorized to issue prescriptions; 
   (d) Possession in private clubs or private establishments; or 
   (e) The selling, handling, serving or transporting of alcoholic beverages by a person in the course of his or her lawful employment by a licensed manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of alcoholic beverages. [1:272:1947; 1943 NCL § 10594.02]—(NRS A 1967, 482; 1987, 482)

NRS 202.24935 Sale and distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products to minor through use of Internet prohibited; penalties; policy to prevent minor from obtaining tobacco products through use of Internet.

1. It is unlawful for a person to knowingly sell or distribute cigarettes, cigarette paper, tobacco of any description or products made from tobacco to a child under the age of 18 years through the use of the Internet.
2. A person who violates the provisions of subsection 1 shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500 and a civil penalty of not more than $500. Any money recovered pursuant to this section as a civil penalty must be deposited in the same manner as money is deposited pursuant to subsection 8 of NRS 202.2493.
3. Every person who sells or distributes cigarettes, cigarette paper, tobacco of any description or products made from tobacco through the use of the Internet shall adopt a policy to prevent a child under the age of 18 years from obtaining cigarettes, cigarette paper, tobacco of any description or products made from tobacco from the person through the use of the Internet. The policy must include, without limitation, a method for ensuring that the person who delivers such items obtains the signature of a person who is over the age of 18 years when delivering the items, that the packaging or wrapping of the items when they are shipped is clearly marked with the word “cigarettes” or the words “tobacco products,” and that the person complies with the provisions of 15 U.S.C. § 376. A person who fails to adopt a policy pursuant to this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500. (Added to NRS by 2001, 2787; A 2007, 2060)

Pursuant to Board Policy 544, the Board recognizes that use of alcohol and illicit drugs by Douglas County School District students is a serious concern. Drugs and alcohol are a significant barrier to learning, they compromise school safety and they may have devastating short and long term effects on the health and welfare of students. A program of deterrence will be instituted as a proactive approach to a drug free school. The purpose of this program is to achieve four goals:

1. Deter students from initiating drug use;
2. Confidentially identify students who have started using drugs or alcohol so that parents and professionals can intervene early;
3. Help students who have a dependency on drugs or alcohol, so that they can be referred to drug treatment or counseling services; and
4. Promote a safer, healthier school learning environment.

DCSD students who wish to participate in cocurricular and/or athletic activities are required to submit to random, suspicionless testing of their urine to determine the presence of illicit drugs, alcohol, and other banned substances. In addition, parents and legal guardians of students in schools with random student drug and alcohol testing programs in grades 9 – 12 will also have the option to voluntarily permit their child to participate in the testing program even if their child is NOT in any cocurricular or extracurricular activities.

This Policy is designed to create a safe, drug-free learning environment for students and assist them in getting help when needed. No student will be penalized academically for testing positive for illegal drugs, alcohol or other banned substances. The results of tests conducted pursuant to this policy will not be documented in any student’s academic records. Information regarding the results of tests will not be disclosed to criminal or juvenile authorities absent legal compulsion by valid and binding subpoena or other legal process, which the District administration will not solicit. In the event of service of any such subpoena or legal process, the student and the student’s custodial parent or legal guardian will be notified at least 72 hours before response is made by the District to the extent permitted by such subpoena or legal process.

1. SUPPORTING INFORMATION
   a. Random, suspicionless urine testing of students in public schools is legally permissible as determined by the United States Supreme Court in the cases of Vernonia School District 47J (Oregon) v. Wayne and Acton and Pottawatomie v. Earls.
2. ILLICIT OR BANNED SUBSTANCES
   For purposes of this Policy, the following drug classes, substances or their metabolites for which urine testing is appropriate are considered illicit or banned for ingestion or use by Douglas County School District students:

Reference: NRS 392.466 
Date Adopted: May 2009 
Date Revised: