Background and Purpose The Mexico School District strives to produce graduates who will become productive members of society. Our goals for testing include maintaining student safety, preparing students for employment or further educational opportunities and helping to shape them as future leaders of our community, state and country. Drug screening at the middle and high school levels will assist in this process in several ways. It gives students a viable reason to resist peer pressure and thus alleviates some experimentation with illegal substances...our proactive stance sends a positive message to our community...it helps us in our effort to minimize the use of illegal substances and negative influences within our district…it helps deter possible long-term dependency resulting from the abuse of legal substances and the use of illegal substances…and it helps to protect students from harm. Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, the Mexico School District will conduct random drug testing by urinalysis for all students in grades seven through twelve who apply for parking permits or participate in MSHSAA-sponsored activities. Our middle and high school students are entitled to enjoy a drug free educational experience, and testing will assist our efforts to provide such. The intent is in no way to promote or pursue legal consequences, and a positive result does not imply possession of any legal or illegal substance. Consequences of a positive result are comprised of the suspension or termination of the privilege to participate in MSHSAA- sponsored activities and the privilege of possessing a Mexico High School parking permit. Participation in MSHSAA-sponsored activities and possession of parking permits are voluntary activities that are not rights of our students, but are simply privileges that are subject to revocation. Confidentiality Student health information derived from the results of random drug testing is a type of student record that is particularly sensitive and protected by numerous state and federal laws. Student information shall be protected from unauthorized, illegal, or inappropriate disclosure by adherence to the principles of confidentiality and privacy. The information shall be protected regardless of whether the information is received orally, in writing, or electronically and regardless of the type of record or method of storage. All appropriate laws and school policies will be used to enforce violation of confidentiality. Procedures Consent - Parents or guardians of all high school and middle school students will be encouraged to attend a district-conducted information session. Both the student and parent/guardian will be required to sign a written consent for random testing prior to receiving parking privileges and/or participating in any MSHSAA-sponsored activities through Mexico High School and Mexico Middle School. Selection – Any student who participates in a MSHSAA-sponsored activity (which include football, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, softball, volleyball, boys and girls golf, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls basketball, wrestling, boys and girls track, baseball, cheerleading, dance, winter guard, band, choir, speech/debate, academic bowl) and any student who purchases an MHS parking permit is included in our testing pool. All students remain in the testing pool for 365 days after their activity ceases or their parking permit expires or is suspended, whichever date is later. Students are randomly selected from the entire population of the testing pool. Each of the students in Mexico Middle School and Mexico High School included in our testing pool are assigned a number. A random number generator creates a list of numbers, which determines which students are to be tested. If a student is unavailable for testing, the next random number on the list is used to determine who is tested in their place. *Students who wish to drop out of the drug pool must have their parent/guardian come to the school and meet with the Activities Director or Principal. The student and parent/guardian must sign a release form stating that they no longer wish to participate in the random drug testing pool. If the student is 18 years of age and living on his/her own, he/she still needs to meet with the Activities Director or Principal to drop out of the testing pool. Withdrawal from the program will result in ineligibility from extra-curricular and/or co-curricular activities for 365 days as well as loss of parking privileges for the same duration. *This program does not affect other policies and practices of the Mexico School District in dealing with drugs or alcohol use or possession where reasonable suspicion is obtained by means other than the mandatory and random sampling discussed here. Testing - Students correlating to the randomly generated numbers on the list are discreetly escorted from class to the testing area by the school activities director or his/her designee. A sufficient private restroom facility is predetermined by the testing company to protect the privacy of the student being tested. The facility is prepared by the testing company by removing any possible opportunities to taint test results. Students being tested are allowed total privacy and are not accompanied by the tester into the facility. Drug testing will be conducted multiple times during the school calendar year. Possible substances tested for include, but are not limited to, the following: A. Opiates*: morphine, codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin, Hycodan, Panacet, Anexsia) and hydromorphone (Diluadid). B. Amphetamines*: Adderal, Dexedrine, Benezedrine. Methamphetamine will usually show up in an amphetamine panel. C. Benzodiazepines**: diazepam (Valium), chlodiazapoxide (Librium), oxazepam (Serax), alprazolam (Xanax) and others. D. Barbiturates**: pentobarbital, butabital, amobarbital, secobarbital and Phenobarbital. E. Methadone: Dolophine. F. Oxycodone: Percodan, Percocet, Oxycontin, oxymorphone(Numorphan), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and codeine. G. Cocaine* H. Methamphetamine: Though Meth usually shows up in the amphetamine panel, many manufacturers feel that separate panel specifically for Meth is more beneficial. The following items may show up as Meth: MDMA (Ecstacy), Pseudoephedrine, Selegiline (Atapryl, Dipryl, Eldepryl Benzphetamine (Didrex), a Vicks inhaler and Ranitidine (Zantac). I. Marijuana* J. Phencyclidine (PCP)**: Venlafaxine (Effexor) may show up as PSP. K. MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine): Ecstacy L. Propoxyphene (Darvon), a synthetic opiate. * - substance tested for in the four-panel, seven-panel and twelve-panel tests. ** - substance tested for in the seven-panel and twelve-panel tests. Positive Test - Prior to any action being taken by Mexico Public Schools, the parent or guardian and student will be given an opportunity to discuss the results with a medical review officer provided by the drug testing agency. The expense of any subsequent testing is the responsibility of the student and/or parent/guardian. A positive result does not imply possession of any substance. In order to protect the privacy of each student to the highest possible extent, no additional information regarding test results are shared with anyone. Only the district Activities Directors and the building principal will have knowledge of substances the student tested positive for. No teachers, coaches, sponsors or any other district faculty members are given any information other than the duration of any resulting suspension. Consequences – If a randomly selected student refuses to submit to a drug screening, he/she will be subject to the same consequences as what would result from a positive test. 1st offense: *Five-week* suspension from in-season MSHSAA competition and/or parking privileges. To regain eligibility for competition and/or parking privileges, suspended students must provide proof of their completion in a drug counseling program and a negative drug test result. If the student is participating in an extra-curricular or co-curricular activity, he/she is also expected to attend practices, team meetings, and games during the suspension. Students in co-curricular activities for which there is a grade will not be penalized for their classroom grade; however, they will not be allowed to participate in the outside of school performances or events. 2nd offense: Suspension from MSHSAA competition and parking privileges for 365 calendar days. To regain eligibility for competition and/or parking privileges, suspended students must provide proof of their completion in one or more drug counseling programs to be determined and a negative drug test result. 3rd offense: Suspension from MSHSAA competition and parking privileges for remainder of high school career.