ATHLETIC/CHEERLEADER/DANCE TEAM DRUG TESTING

It is the position of the St. Mary Parish School Board that drug testing procedures are embraced by both parents and student participants to help achieve maximum protection of participants without compromise to the student’s opportunities to participate safely, fairly, and competitively.  The Board further believes that the effects of drug use by athletes/cheer leaders/dance teams are not visited just upon the users, but upon the entire student body and faculty, as the educational process is disrupted, and the use of drugs increases the risk of sport-related injury.

Therefore, the St. Mary Parish School Board authorizes random use of breathalyzer and urinalysis drug testing of students who participate in the Board’s secondary school’s athletic/cheerleader/dance team programs.  This program is a mandatory condition for participation by a student in any interscholastic athletics/cheer leader/dance team.  The test at issue is only for drugs and not any other health related condition that participants may exhibit.

The following procedures shall be followed upon receipt of a positive result from the drug testing described herein:

• • First positive — The student must test negative, at the end of a two-week counseling/treatment period, before being allowed to resume participation and will be tested monthly for the remainder of the school year.
  • Second positive (in the same year) — The student shall be immediately dismissed from his/her activity and shall be ineligible for participation in any of the school’s interscholastic athletics/cheer leader/dance team for a period of twelve (12) months.
  • Third positive (in eight semesters) — Any individual who tests positive for a third time during an eight-semester period (four years of eligibility) shall be terminated from interscholastic athletics/cheer leader/dance team for the remainder of their time in high school.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO POLICY IDFAA-INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS:

https://www.stmaryk12.net/cms/lib/LA01907349/Centricity/domain/772/forethought/StMaryCAPS.htm