The District will use the following principles as guides for the development of its substance use/abuse prevention efforts and for any disciplinary measures related to alcohol and other substances:

1)     While the District can and must assume a leadership role in alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use/abuse prevention, this goal will be accomplished only through coordinated, collaborative efforts with parents/guardians, students, staff, and the community as a whole.

2)       Alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use/abuse is preventable and treatable.

3)     Alcohol and other substance use/abuse inhibits the District from carrying out its central mission of educating students.

4)     The behavior of the Board of Education, the administration, and all school staff should model the behavior asked of students.

The Board of Education recognizes that the problems of alcohol and other substance use/abuse are not limited to the student society. As such, the Board has established an Employee Assistance Program that provides appropriate, confidential prevention, intervention, assessment, referral, support, and follow-up services for District staff who seek assistance with alcohol and other substance use/abuse related problems, emotional problems, mental illness, and other human problems. District staff will be informed about the services they can receive through the Employee Assistance Program.

The District recognizes that it has no right to intervene unless employees' personal problems adversely affect their job performance. When unsatisfactory performance does occur, the District's supervisory personnel will encourage employees to manage and move toward a resolution of their problems on their own or with the help of the Employee Assistance Program.

Staff members who are disciplined for any of these infractions will be referred to the Employee

Assistance Program.

The Board recognizes that if the administrative, instructional, and non-instructional staff are to be responsible for implementing and modeling Board policy and administrative regulations, they must be trained about the components of an effective alcohol and other substance prevention program.

For all staff:

1)      Awareness of personal risk factors for alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and other substance use/abuse so that they may identify personal use/abuse problems and seek assistance,

 2)     Their role in implementing Board policy and administrative regulations which includes how to identify students who exhibit high risk behaviors or who are using/abusing alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and other substances, and

3)       Referral of students to the appropriate services established by the District. Additionally for teachers:

The knowledge and skills necessary to implement the District's K through 12 alcohol, tobacco, drugs,and other substance prevention curriculum.

For intervention staff:

Appropriate staff training for those identified to carry out the intervention function to assure that their assessment,individual, group, and family counseling and referral skills support the needs of high risk, using,and abusing youth.