Primary Prevention
The intent of primary prevention programming is to prevent or delay the onset of alcohol and other substance use by students. The components of this programming shall include:
- Primary prevention through early and regular health screening done by the school doctor and nurse.
- A sequential K-12 prevention curriculum that provides for:
- Accurate and age-appropriate information about alcohol and other substances, including the physical, psychological and social consequences for their use/abuse.
- Information about the relationship of alcohol and other substance use/abuse to other health-compromising behaviors or illnesses such as HIV and AIDS, teenage pregnancy, eating disorders, child abuse, suicide, and dropping out of school.
- Helping students develop appropriate life skills to resist the use of alcohol and other substances and to promote healthy life styles.
- Helping students identify personal risk factors for alcohol and other substance use/abuse and the steps needed for risk reduction.
- Helping students develop a positive self-concept.
- Helping students identify when they are under stress and how to manage or reduce such stress through non-chemical means.
- Training school staff, parents and guardians to use the information and skills necessary to reinforce the components of this policy and regulation in the home, school and community.
- Community education about the issues of alcohol and other substance use/abuse as a basis for providing a consistent message to district youth.
- Positive alternatives to alcohol and other substance use/abuse, such as peer leadership programs, service projects, and recreational and extracurricular activities. Such activities will be planned collaboratively with students, school staff, parent(s) or guardian(s), community members, and agencies.
Intervention
The intent of intervention programming is to eliminate any existing use/abuse of alcohol and other substances, and to identify and provide supportive services to kindergarten through 12th grade students at high risk for such use/abuse. The components of such programming shall include:
- providing alcohol and other substance use/abuse assessment and counseling services for students;
- developing a referral process between district schools and community providers;
- identifying and referring students to appropriate agencies when their use/abuse of alcohol and/or other substance requires counseling and/or treatment;
- providing services to students in or returning from treatment to ensure that the school environment supports the process of recovery initiated in the treatment program;
- providing individual, group, and family counseling targeted at students at high risk for alcohol and/or other substances use/abuse;
- educating parent(s) or guardian(s) on when and how to access the district’s intervention services; and
- ensuring confidentiality as required by federal and state law.
Disciplinary Measures
If a student self-refers for assistance in dealing with their substance use, they will be referred to support services through the building team. Amnesty from discipline will continue as long as a student follows their recommended intervention program. If that student does not follow the intervention program, they will be subject to the provisions of this regulation regarding suspension from extracurricular activities.
The offenses set forth in this regulation will be documented cumulatively throughout the time a child attends the district.
Students who are disciplined for any of these infractions will be mandated to participate in the intervention services established by Board of Education policy. Where the requirements of Drug-Free Workplace legislation apply and in other situations deemed appropriate by the Superintendent, district staff will be referred to the Employee Assistance Program.
Disciplinary measures for district staff are addressed in, among other statutes, Education Law Sections 1711(5)(e), 2508(5), 3020-a, 3031 and 913.
Staff Development
The Board recognizes that if the administrative, instructional, and non-instructional staff are to be responsible for understanding, implementing and modeling the district’s policy and regulation on student Drug and Alcohol Abuse, they must be trained about the components of an effective alcohol and other substance prevention program. Staff training will be an ongoing process including the following:
- For all staff: (a) an understanding of why individuals use and abuse alcohol and other substances, (b) their role in implementing this policy, including how to identify students who exhibit high risk behaviors or who are using/abusing alcohol and other substances, and how to refer these students to the appropriate services established by this policy, (c) awareness of personal risk factors for alcohol and other substance use/abuse so that they may identify personal use/abuse problems and seek assistance, and (d) awareness of the special needs of students returning from treatment.
- Additionally for teachers: the knowledge and skills necessary to implement the district’s K-12 alcohol and other substance prevention curricula.
- For intervention staff: appropriate staff training for those identified to carry out the intervention function to ensure that their assessment of individual, group, and family counseling and referral skills support the needs of high risk, using and abusing youth.
- For prevention staff: appropriate staff training to ensure that they have the necessary knowledge and skills to support the application of prevention concepts through programming targeted at the school, home and community.
- Newly hired staff will receive copies of the policy and training in the areas described in 1.
Implementation, Dissemination, and Monitoring
The Board directs the Superintendent of Schools to ensure a collaborative grade appropriate implementation plan with members of the school community at all schools. This plan will attempt to educate students about resistance strategies and the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Students, at the secondary level (grades 6-12), will also be apprised of drug and alcohol prohibitions and disciplinary consequences as they review the District Code of Conduct annually.
Adoption date: May 27, 1997
Revised: August 11, 2003
Reviewed: May 22, 2017
Revised: August 11, 2025