Voluntary Drug Testing Program Overview and Guidelines

Voluntary Drug Testing Program Overview and Guidelines “Every child in America is at risk of using drugs, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic s...
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Voluntary Drug Testing Program Overview and Guidelines “Every child in America is at risk of using drugs, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status.” -National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse II Research shows that kids who learn from their parents about the dangers of underage drinking, illicit drugs, tobacco use, dangerous driving and other risky behaviors are less likely to engage in them. – American Academy of Pediatrics

“Everybody thinks their kid is beyond taking drugs…nobody is beyond it.” – a mom in Troy, Missouri Let your child know how important they are to you. Talk to them about the facts and consequences of underage drinking and illicit drug use. Your ongoing involvement, care, concern, and support will help your children stay safe. Support your children’s future. Help them stay alcohol and drug free.

Leander Independent School District Chemical Abuse Prevention Program Phone: 512.570.0315 Fax: 512.570.1808

Revised 7/12/2012

I.

Objectives: A. to maintain a school environment free of drug use and its effects; B. to educate students as to the serious physical, mental , and emotional harm caused by the use of illegal drugs: C. to prevent injury, illness, and harm as a result of the use of illegal drugs; D. to provide a deterrent to the use of illegal drugs by students; E. to give students a valid reason to resist peer pressure to use illegal drugs; F. to identify students who have substance abuse problems and offer assistance; G. to send a message to students that the District cares about their health, safety and character.

II.

All participation is completely voluntary. A. Option A: Voluntary Drug Testing. Enrollment through this program is open to all students in grades 6-12. This gives students a support system to encourage them to make the right choices to stay clean and sober. Students in this program will participate in random drug testing. B. Option B: Family Request Testing. This program allows parents of students in grades 6-12 to request, up to two times per school year, that their sons/daughters be drug tested. Students and parents must sign a consent form in order to be tested. Students enrolled through Option B will not become part of the testing pool.

III.

How to Participate: Parents and students will carefully review Leander ISD Voluntary Drug Testing Program Overview and Guidelines. A. Voluntary Drug Testing: A consent form must be signed and dated by the student and his/her parent or guardian. Students 18 years of age or older may sign the consent form without parental/guardian consent. The consent form must be returned to CAPP office Drug Testing Coordinator according to the directions on the form. Once consent is given and a student is placed into the pool, that student shall remain in the pool until he/she withdraws from the District, graduates or the parent/guardian submits a written request for removal from the program. B. Family Request Testing: Parents/guardians may call the CAPP office (512.570.0315) or the student’s counselor office to request a consent form. The consent form must be signed and dated by the student and his/her parent or guardian, and returned to the Chemical Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP) Staff, according to the directions on the form. Once that paperwork has been returned to the CAPP office, the student will be included in the next testing period for his/her campus. They will not become part of the voluntary testing pool.

IV.

Test Results: A. Parents (or student if they are 18 years old) will be notified of the results of the testing. A phone call will be made to the parents of a student that tests positive then results will be mailed home. A results letter will be mailed home to the parents of those students who test negative. B. If, after a positive test for the student, the student and/or parent desire an additional confirmatory retest, they may contact CAPP coordinator to get drug testing company’s name to initiate a retest. Parents will be responsible for the cost of this further testing. C. Any information pursuant to this program shall be the property of the District. Test results shall be stored in a separate, locked file cabinet.

V.

Testing Overview: A. Testing will be administered by staff from an outside drug testing company. B. Testing days will occur randomly throughout the school year. The testing company and drug testing coordinator will determine dates. Testing at the different campuses will not necessarily occur on the same days. C. Drugs that may be tested include the following: 1. 1.Amphetamines (Group) including Ecstasy 2. Marijuana 3. Cocaine 4. Opiates (Group) 5. Benzodiazepines (Group) D. The programs shall use oral fluid (saliva swab) samples for drug testing. E. Except as otherwise provided herein, the District shall pay the costs of all initial and confirmatory drug tests to which it requires, or requests, a student to submit.

VI.

How students are selected for testing:

Revised 7/12/2012

A.

B.

Voluntary Drug Testing: Names of participating students shall be forwarded to the drug testing company for random selection from the pool of participating students. Once a name has been selected, it will be placed back into the pool. Consequently, students selected for testing during one testing period will be eligible for future tests. A student may be tested in consecutive testings. Family Request Testing: Upon receiving the signed consent form, the Drug Testing Coordinator shall include the name of the student in the next round of drug testing at his/her campus.

VII. Testing Procedures: All oral fluids sample collection and testing for drugs under this program shall be performed in accordance with the following procedures: A. The collection of oral fluids samples shall be performed under reasonable and sanitary conditions. B. Student will be monitored during the oral fluids sample collection. C. Oral fluids sample collections shall be documented, and the documentation procedures shall incorporate a chain of custody that includes: 1. Labeling of sample containers so as to reasonably preclude the likelihood of erroneous identification of test results; and 2. An opportunity for the student or his/her parent/guardian to provide any information the he/she considers relevant to the test, including identification of currently or recently used prescription or non-prescription drugs, or other relevant medical information. Verification of the prescription may be required. The provision of this information shall not preclude the administration of the drug test, but shall be taken into account in interpreting any positive confirmed results. D. Oral fluids sample collection, storage, and transportation to the testing site will be performed in a manner that will reasonably preclude specimen contamination or adulteration. All samples will be identified with students’ specific identification numbers, sealed, and submitted to a certified laboratory. E. Oral fluids sample testing for drugs shall conform to scientifically accepted analytical methods and procedures. F. Refusal to provide the required oral fluids sample shall be considered a positive result. The Drug Testing Coordinator shall communicate this refusal to the parents. G. All positives shall be put through a second test and confirmed using a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). If the confirmation test is positive, the sample will be reported as positive to the Drug Testing Coordinator. If the positive test is due to a prescription medication, a copy of that prescription will be needed to verify this and included with the results. VIII. Process after Testing Positive: A. Voluntary Drug Testing Participants: All offenses shall be cumulative for grades 6-12. 1. First Positive Test Options: • The student and parents/guardians participate in a substance abuse assessment to ascertain if a problem exists and if so, the extent of the drug problem. Call 512.570.0315 to schedule an appointment. • Counseling services in the District will be offered. • The student will also retest during each of the next two (2) testing periods. 2. Second Positive Test Options: • The student and parents/guardians will be referred to a CAPP counselor and explore counseling options and develop a plan of action. • The student will be required to retest during each of the next two (2) testing periods. 3. Third Positive Test Options: • The student and parents/guardians will be referred for a follow-up substance abuse assessment to ascertain the extent of the problem at this time. Call 512.570.0315 to schedule an appointment. • The student and parent/guardians will be referred to a CAPP counselor to discuss further counseling/treatment options. • The student will be required to retest during each of the next two (2) testing periods. B. Family Request Participants: • The parents will be notified of the test results and the consequences will be determined by each family. However, parents are encouraged to call one of the District’s CAPP Counselors for a list of community and school resources that may provide assistance to the family. A substance abuse assessment is suggested to ascertain if a problem exists and if

Revised 7/12/2012

C.

IX.

so, the extent of the drug problem. This is a free service. Call 512.570.0315 to schedule an appointment. Drug Free Club Participants: • Each campus has regulations for its Drug Free Club Members. Please check with your child’s campus’ sponsor for a summary of consequences. Extracurricular Activities Participant’s Consequences: A. First Positive Test • Consequences will be up to the discretion of the coach or sponsor. B. Second Positive Test • The student shall be suspended from participating in extracurricular competition outside the school day for a period of three weeks. Students will be allowed to participate in practice. C. Third Positive Test • The student shall be suspended from participating or practicing in extracurricular activities outside the school day for a period of one calendar year.

Definitions of Extracurricular Activities: For the purpose of policy, the term “extracurricular activities” TAC 76.1(a) (1) an extracurricular activity is an activity sponsored by the University interscholastic League (UIL), the school district board of trustees or an organization sanctioned by resolution of the board of trustees. The activity is not necessarily directly related to instruction of the essential knowledge and skills, but may have an indirect relation to some areas of the curriculum. Extracurricular activities include, but are not limited to, public performances, contests, demonstrations, displays, and club activities. In addition, an activity shall be subject to the provisions for an extracurricular activity if any one of the following criteria apply:  the activity is competitive;  the activity is held in conjunction with another activity that is considered to be extracurricular;  the activity is held off campus, except in cases in which adequate facilities do not exist on campus;  the general public is invited; or  an admission is charged.

Instructions for Enrolling Your Student For participation in either the Voluntary Random or Family/Student Request: Complete the consent form. and check the appropriate box on the form to indicate in which program your child will participate. Send, scan and email or fax to the address listed below. Include your email address so that confirmation of receipt of the consent(s) may be sent to you. Students involved in Voluntary Drug-Testing program will be subject to those consequences as described in this document. Mail, scan and email or fax consent form to: Mary Ann Kluga, Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator at fax number: 512.570.1808. or email: [email protected] or mail to LISD - Old Admin Building/CAPP P.O. Box 218 Leander, TX 78646.

Revised 7/12/2012

LISD DRUG TESTING PROGRAM CONSENT ***If you have completed this form in a previous year, then you DO NOT need to do it again. (REALLY All secondary students receive this form in the first day of school packets.  !)***

*IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: BOTH PARENT AND STUDENT MUST SIGN THIS FORM.* (Read the entire LISD Voluntary Drug Testing Program Overview and Guidelines online at www.leanderisd.org, Departments, Drug-Free Students). I. Print Student’s Name

Student’s School ID Number

School II.

III.

Grade

Authorizing Parent/Guardian Signature: I hereby give my permission for my child to be drug tested and I understand that this consent stays valid until graduation or I notify CAPP in writing to remove my child from the program. Print Name (Parent/Guardian) Parent/Guardian Signature Program Participation: Check in which program(s) you want your child to be included. 

Voluntary Random Program – your child will be included with all other LISD students participating in the program and could be randomly chosen to be tested.  Family or Student Request Program – your child can be tested twice during the school year per your request and at the next time testing is done at that campus or you may want this form kept on file for possible future testing. _____ Initial here to have form kept on file for future testing. IV.

Reason for participation: ___Athletics/UIL involvement ___Drug Free Club ___Other:___________

V.

Student Signature: ___Initial here if you are 18 years of age or older.

VI.

Sign Name Mailing Address (of person to contact with results).

Work Phone:

Date

Home Phone:

Return this form by mailing, faxing, or scanning and emailing to: Mary Ann Kluga, Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator, LISD-Old Admin Building/CAPP, P. O. Box 218, Leander, TX, 78646. Fax number: 512.570.1808 Email: [email protected] VII. For confirmation of receipt of this consent, please PRINT LEGIBLY your email address. THANK YOU!

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Revised 7/12/2012