DSUSD Drug and Alcohol Policy

Participation in extracurricular activities at DSUSD is a privilege, not a right. Therefore, any student using, possessing, buying or selling alcohol, or using, possessing, buying or selling any controlled substance or drug paraphernalia on campus or at school events, is in violation of DSUSD’s drug and alcohol policy.

Disciplinary action as a result of above violations is a five-day suspension, required by DSUSD. Other punishments such as suspension from games, meets or matches, are subject to the coach, teacher, and/or athletic director. There is no uniform policy regarding the number of games or activities a student must be suspended from in order to return to school and the activity. After review with schools and coaches, punishment can range from kicked off a team to being suspended from 1-5 meets/games/matches.

Additionally, while suspended, students still dress out with teams and practice. This seems inequitable due to the following; if a student does not have required GPA to participate they cannot dress out nor practice with team. This mixed message says drugs and alcohol have a lesser consequence than a student’s GPA.

This petition is designed to get DSUSD to address the lack of a uniform disciplinary policy, with the exception of the five-day suspension. The District needs to address a ZERO tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use, and the policy must clearly state what happens when there are drug and alcohol violations, as it relates to participating in sports or other extracurricular activities.