- The school notifies the police, calls the parents, and suspends students for 1 to 5 school days.
- The special assistant to the superintendent meets with the students and parents. In order to return to school, students must state where and how they obtained the drugs. The students must also agree either to participate in the district's Alternative Drug Program at night, while attending school during the day, or to enroll in the district's Learning Center (grades 7-8) or evening high school (grades 9-12). Students, accompanied by their parents, must also take at least 5 hours of counseling. Parents are also required to sign a Drug/Alcohol Reinstatement Form.
- If students fail to complete the Alternative Drug Program, they are transferred to the Learning Center or to evening high school.
- Students are expelled if caught using or possessing drugs a second time.
Distribution and sale of drugs are also grounds for expulsion, and a student expelled for these offenses is ineligible to participate in the Alternative Drug Program.
As a result of these steps, the number of drug offenses has declined by 58 percent, from 507 in 1979-80 to 211 in 1984-85.
Schools
Recommendation #5:
Establish clear and specific rules regarding drug use that include strong corrective actions.
School policies should clearly establish that drug use, possession, and sale on the school grounds and at school functions will not be tolerated. These policies should apply to both students and school personnel, and may include prevention, intervention, treatment, and disciplinary measures.
School policies should:
- Specify what constitutes a drug offense by defining (1) illegal substances and paraphernalia, (2) the area of the school's jurisdiction, for example, the school property, its surroundings, and all school-related events, such as proms and football games, and (3) the types of violations (drug possession, use, and sale).
- State the consequences for violating school policy; as appropriate, punitive action should be linked with treatment and counseling. Measures that schools have found effective in dealing with first-time offenders include: