POLICY ON SCREENING FOR DRUG USAGE

SECTION I
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that:

The political community has a duty to honor the family, to assist it, and to ensure especially...- the protection of security and health, especially with respect to dangers like drugs, pornography, alcoholism, etc.; and...The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense.  Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2211, 2291

The Catholic Diocese of Peoria is committed to providing the most optimal
educational environment possible for all students attending the schools of the Diocese. In
order to assist parents, the primary educators of their children, and to work toward the
establishment of a safe and drug-free environment, screening of all students for drug usage is to be adopted in all high schools of the Diocese by the 2000-2001 school year.

The church community recognizes its duty to honor the family and to assist it. This
same community wishes to ensure the protection of security and health in all matters, but
in a special way with regard to dangers such as drug usage.

The program of screening for drug usage is intended to (1) deter young adults from
beginning or continuing drug use, and (2) identify young adults who are harmfully
involved in drug use so that they can be steered in appropriate drug education and
treatment. We wish to empower our students with knowledge and skills in order to make
responsible decisions about their behaviors. We believe that the most effective deterrent
to drug usage is openness and communication among students, parents and the school
community. This collaborative effort serves to enhance all aspects of school life in order
to develop healthy, positive and productive citizens.

Attendance at a Catholic High School is not a right, but it is a privilege. With the
privilege comes certain responsibilities. We hold students and their parents, or guardians,
to a high standard of behavior in areas that affect the well-being and safety of all students. Therefore, students and parents are required to consent to participation in all the aspects of this policy as a condition of the student’s continued enrollment at a Catholic High School of the Diocese.


SECTION II
PROHIBITIONS

Students will be screened for drug usage utilizing Psychemedics Corporation
Proprietary Drug Testing Services employing radioimmunoassay technology in the
analysis of hair (RIAH) and post-positive GC/MS,LC/MSorMS/MS confirmation testing.
Specifically, samples will be submitted to Psychemedics Corporation for RIAH detection of the presence of Cocaine, Opiates, Phencyclidine (PCP), Marijuana, and
Methamphetamine. Post-positive testing includes GC/MS, LC/MS or MS/MS
confirmation for Benzoylecgonine (Cocaine Metabolite), Opiates
(Heroin/Morphine/Codeine), PCP, Carboxy-THC (Marijuana Metabolite),
Methamphetamine. The use of such drugs by students without legitimate medical
authorization is prohibited.

SECTION III
SCREENING FOR DRUG USAGE

Students enrolled in any of the Catholic High Schools of the Diocese of Peoria will be screened for drug usage as follows:

1) ANNUAL SCREENING
All students will be screened for drugs at least once per year.

2) RANDOM SCREENING
Any student enrolled in any of the Catholic High Schools of the Diocese of Peoria
is subject to screening for drug usage on a randomly selected basis in addition to the
annual screening. Each school will test ten percent (10%) of the student body on a
random basis each year. Consequently, some students may be tested more than
once a year.

3) SCREENING BASED UPON BEHAVIOR
Any student who displays behavior that may be related to the use of prohibited
substances, or is otherwise demonstrating conduct that may be in violation of this
policy, will with the concurrence of the school-identified Drug Screening
Coordinator of the screening program (hereafter referred to as a “Drug Screening
Coordinator”) be required to submit to screening. If the observed conduct could
possibly endanger the student or others, the student may be removed from the
school immediately and placed in the care of the student’s parents or guardians. A
student may be directed to submit to screening based upon their behavior before,
during or after the school day or a school-sponsored activity.

4) FOLLOW-UP SCREENING
Any student found to be in violation of this policy will be subject to follow-up
screening. Such follow-up screening will take place ninety (90) days after the
student has received a positive test result.

5) TRANSFER STUDENTS
All transfer students shall submit to screening for drug usage on a date as soon as
possible after applying for admission. Admission is not complete until the
screening has taken place and results showing the absence of drug usage are
obtained.

SECTION IV
DRUG SCREENING METHOD

The Catholic High Schools of the Diocese of Peoria will use hair sampling
procedures for the purposes of this policy implementation. Normally, a small sample of
head hair will be collected from the students by trained personnel. However, students who wear a short hair style must understand that body hair collected from the arm or leg
will be used for the drug screening method if the trained personnel are unable to obtain a
sufficient amount of head hair.

SECTION V
NOTIFICATION OF TEST RESULTS

Notification of test results will be given to the Drug Screening Coordinator of the
program in each school by Psychemedics Corporation. The Drug Screening Coordinator
will also notify the chaplain. Parents and guardians and students shall be notified of a
positive test result as soon as possible by the Drug Screening Coordinator. It is left to the
discretion of each local high school as to whether or not they will notify parents and
guardians in regard to a negative test result.
If a student tests positive for prohibited substances, that student and his parents or
guardians shall be required to meet with the Drug Screening Coordinator to determine
appropriate follow-up steps. Such a student will be required to receive an immediate
assessment by a substance abuse professional approved by the Drug Screening
Coordinator. This student and his family must agree to follow the plan of treatment
established by the substance abuse professional and must agree to provide the school with
the initial assessment and information regarding a plan of treatment. The assessment of
any student engaged in extra-curricular activities must consider whether this student will
be allowed to continue to engage in extra-curricular activities or what limitations will be
placed upon such activities. Furthermore, each local high school with the approval of the
Office of Catholic Education may adopt further punitive or disciplinary policies to be
implemented if the student tests positive for prohibited substances. Such local policies will be noted in the Parent/Student Handbook. The substance abuse professional shall be
required to advise the school if the student fails to follow the plan of treatment, in which
case the student will be subject to school discipline, including the possibility of expulsion. Upon completion of necessary treatment, the student must submit to follow-up testing as set forth in Section III, above, or such other method as proposed by the substance abuse professional and agreed to by the High School. All costs associated with assessment, treatment and follow-up testing shall be borne by the student or the student’s parents or guardians.

In the case of students who test positively for prohibited substances on a second or more occasion during their high school career, the Principal of the High School may
determine to exercise discipline, including the possibility of recommending expulsion.
The High School will make reasonable attempts to keep information respecting
positive drug tests and the follow-up procedures of the school confidential. However,
the school cannot be responsible for information that must be shared (for example, with a
coach, if that student will be limited with respect to participation in an extra curricular
activity) or as required by law or for information that is shared with others by the
student or the parents or guardians of the student.

SECTION VI
APPEAL OF TEST RESULTS

If the student or his or her family feels the test results are erroneous, the student or family has the right to request that a second test be taken. This test must be requested and taken within three days of the positive result. The cost shall be borne by the student, parents or guardians. Furthermore, all requests for a second test will also be submitted to Psychemedics Corporation for hair analysis and the student may not alter their hairstyle prior to the second test. If the second test results vary from the first test results, the school and the parents or guardians will discuss the further action to be taken.

SECTION VII
RETENTION OF RECORDS

No documentation pertaining to each student’s screening for drug usage will
be made part of the student’s permanent record. All documentation will be kept in a
separate confidential file with the Drug Screening Coordinator and will be destroyed upon three years of the student’s graduation from high school.

SECTION VIII
ANNUAL NOTIFICATION

Each secondary school shall, following the first year of testing, submit an annual
report to the Office of the Catholic Schools by June 15th of each year. This report
shall include data on the number of students tested (but not their names), the dates of the
tests and the number of positive and the number of negative results obtained. A short
descriptive analysis of the program for that year shall also be included.