7:240 Conduct Code for Participants in Extracurricular Activities

The Superintendent or designee, using input from coaches and sponsors of extracurricular activities, shall develop a conduct code for all participants in extracurricular activities consistent with School Board policy. The conduct code shall: (1) require participants in extracurricular activities to conduct themselves as good citizens and exemplars of their school at all times, including after school, on days when school is not in session, and whether on or off school property; (2) emphasize that hazing and bullying activities are strictly prohibited; and (3) notify participants that failure to abide by it could result in removal from the activity. The conduct code shall be reviewed by the Building Principal periodically at his or her discretion and presented to the Board.

All coaches and sponsors of extracurricular activities shall annually review the rules of conduct with participants and provide participants with a copy. In addition, coaches and sponsors of interscholastic athletic programs shall provide instruction on steroid abuse prevention to students in grades 7 through 12 participating in these programs.

Extracurricular Drug and Alcohol Testing Program

The District maintains an extracurricular drug and alcohol testing program in order to foster the health, safety, and welfare of its students. Participation in extracurricular activities is a privilege and participants need to be exemplars. The program promotes healthy and drug-free participation.

Each student and his or her parent(s)/guardian(s) must consent to random drug and alcohol testing in order to participate in any extracurricular activity. Failure to sign the District’s “Random Drug and Alcohol Testing Consent” form will result in non-participation.

If a test is “positive”, the student will not participate in extracurricular activities until after a “follow-up”test is requested by the Building Principal or designee and the results are reported. The Building Principal or designee will request a “follow-up” test after such an interval of time that the substance previously found would normally be eliminated from the body. If this “follow-up” test is negative, the student will be allowed to resume extracurricular activities. If a positive result is obtained from the “follow-up” test, or any later test, the same previous procedure shall be followed.

The Superintendent or designee shall develop procedures to implement this policy. No student shall be expelled or suspended from school as a result of any verified positive test conducted under this program other than when independent reasonable suspicion of drug and/or alcohol usage exists. This program does not affect the District policies, practices, or rights to search or test any student who at the time exhibits cause for reasonable suspicion of drug and/or alcohol use.

Performance Enhancing Drug Testing

State law requires the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) to prohibit a student from participating in an athletic competition sponsored or sanctioned by IHSA unless the student has agreed, (a) not to use any performance-enhancing substances on IHSA’s current banned drug list, and (b) to submit to random testing for these substances in the student’s body if the student is in high school. In addition, the student’s parent/guardian must sign a statement for IHSA containing specific acknowledgments including that the student, if in high school, may be subject to random performance-enhancing substance testing and that violating the laws regulating the use of performance-enhancing substances is a crime.

IHSA, with oversight from the Illinois Department of Public Health, administers a performance-enhancing substance testing program under which high school participants in athletic competition sponsored or sanctioned by IHSA are tested at multiple times throughout the athletic season for the presence in their bodies of performance-enhancing substances on the IHSA’s banned drug list.

Cross Reference:

5:280 Educational Support Personnel – Duties and Qualifications

6:190 Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Activities

7:190 Student Discipline

7:300 Extracurricular Athletics

7:180 Preventing Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment

Legal Reference(s):

Board of Education of Independent School Dist. No. 92 v. Earls, 122 S.Ct. 2559 (2002).

Clements v. Board of Education of Decatur, 478 N.E.2d 1209 (Ill.App.4, 1985).

Kevin Jordan v. O’Fallon THSD 203, 706 N.E.2d 137 (Ill.App.5, 1999).

Todd v. Rush County Schools, 133 F.3d 984 (7th Cir., 1998).

Veronia School Dist. 475 v. Acton, 515 U.S. 646 (1995).