CLEARFIELD – Members of the Clearfield school board are considering proposed revisions to school policies involving student conduct and controlled substances/paraphernalia.
At Monday’s committee meetings, Superintendent Terry Struble said the administration was proposing a revision to the student conduct policy. The proposed policy revision would require that respect be shown towards all staff members “and other adults on the school campus or at school events.”
The term “staff member,” he said, would include all administrative personnel, teachers, student teachers, secretaries, custodians, aides and all other school district employees, contracted employees and volunteers.
According to the policy, forbidden conduct towards a staff member or adult includes: improper physical touching or the threat of physical confrontation; verbal or written threats; and profanity directed towards a teacher, staff member or adult in front of other students, which is intended to undermine the authority of that person.
Struble said when a violation occurs, the conduct policy calls for the student to be suspended for a minimum of three school days. He said the district also reserves the right to suspend a student up to 10 school days or to expel after taking into account the nature and severity of the offense.
So far as controlled substances/paraphernalia, Struble said the administration was proposing a revision to a subsection related to reasonable suspicion/testing.
The proposed policy revision, he said, would authorize the school nurse to examine the student for medical symptoms, vital signs or any possible medical explanation based upon the student’s behavior or other observable factors.
He said if the school nurse would have no other explanation for the concerned behavior and the building principal would have reasonable suspicion that the student may be under the influence of a controlled substance, the parent would be contacted and the student would be encouraged to submit to drug or alcohol testing at the school.
Also, under the proposed policy revision, he said the parent would have the option to select their own drug or alcohol testing provider at their own cost. The parent, he said, would have to provide the school the drug and alcohol test results within a week.
If a parent or child would refuse to be tested, they would be required to agree to participate with the Student Assistance Program. A student’s failure to follow through with SAP and its recommendations would cause them to be in violation of the school’s drug and alcohol policy, said Struble.