BOARD TO REVIEW NEW SUBSTANCE-ABUSE POLICY

CHAPEL HILL -- The Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district's approach to
substance abuse will soon be shaped into one unified policy rather the
current hodgepodge of punishments that vary by the school.

A draft proposal would give middle school offenders a clean slate when
entering high school and steer kids toward in-school counseling instead of
out-of-school suspension. Though more would be done to root out problems --
more drug-sniffing dogs, better surveillance of campus haunts -- the
staff-recommended plan favors mediation rather than punishment in many cases.

After being reviewed by cops, coaches, students, counselors and others who
might have a stake in its outcome, the plan will go before the school board
on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.

"There's always a conflict between wanting to make a point of punishment
and wanting to make sure that punishment is helpful and healthy for kids,"
said Ruby Bugg, counselor at East Chapel Hill High School.

If passed, the proposal would toughen penalties at some schools and loosen
them in others. Presently, East Chapel Hill high athletes are instantly
booted off a team when caught with drugs or alcohol. At Chapel Hill High,
it's up to the coach.

But the recommended policy takes the middle ground: students would be
barred from all extracurricular activities -- whether sports or the chess
club -- for 10 days. After two incidents, they'd be out for 45 days.

Students caught with drugs, including alcohol, would also:

Lose on-campus parking privileges for 90 days.

Spend five days in Saturday School or be suspended in-school for five days.

Stay suspended until a parent meets with school administrators.

Develop a personal accountability plan.

Among other measures, second offenses would draw 10-day suspensions. Third
offenses would find the student suspended for at least 45 days, though
completing a drug-treatment program could bring him or her back sooner.
Students caught selling drugs would be suspended for the rest of the school
year, or at least 90 days.

The proposed policy also clarifies how students could be penalized for
drinking or using narcotics off-campus. Only a police report -- not an
eyewitness account -- would suffice, though students could still lose
parking privileges and their place on an extracurricular team.

The proposal would give students found smoking or carrying tobacco more
leniency. They'd face three days of in-school suspension, though that
sentence could be whittled down by attending "Alternative to Suspension"
programs.

Those alternatives aren't yet spelled out, but the report contends that
putting non-dangerous kids out of school has "no educational purpose" and
is "of questionable personal benefit."

Adopting a new substance abuse policy is one of the board's top 10 goals
this school year. Board Chairwoman Lisa Stuckey said she couldn't speculate
on when it might pass or how her colleagues might tweak it.

"We're still looking to find that appropriate balance between education
measures and punitive measures," Stuckey said.