R-9'S DRUG TESTING POLICY AFFECTS CITIZENSHIP POLICY

Last year, Carthage High School changed its Citizenship Policy as it
relates to students involved in school activities.

Last year, students would be handed a two-week suspension upon first
alcohol offense.

The R-9 district's new drug testing policy changed that rule.

"The school board wanted to bring everything into line together," Carthage
High School activities director Ray Harding said. "They wanted the same
policy for the alcohol (as drugs)."

Now, students involved in Carthage activities receive a eight-week
suspension upon first offense of being cited for alcohol possession or use,
drug possession or use or a positive drug test; the suspension can be
reduced to four weeks with counseling and future negative drug tests.

Occu-Med, a company out of Joplin, tests 10 high school students and 10
junior high students within a 14-day period.

Harding said the district hasn't had a student with a positive test yet.

"You can't determine anything (about the testing program) until its been in
the works for a period of time," Harding said.

Students who use alcohol or drugs in school are suspended from activities
for a full year and suspended from school according to the offense;
students do not receive punishment from the school itself for out of school
violations, just their respective activities.

On second offense (out of school), a Carthage student would be suspended
from activities for a year and on third offense, the suspension would be
permenant.

The policy changes a bit during the summer; on first offense, students
caught using alcohol or drugs must face the consequences handed down by his
or her coach/sponsor.

The second offense results in a two-week suspension of the upcoming
activity and third offense means suspension of the upcoming activity.

Carthage also has a policy for tobacco use at a practice or contest - one
week for the first offense, two weeks for the second and suspension from
the activity plus two weeks for the next activity for the third offense.

Violations are verified through five different means, a student's own
admission, their parents' admission, R-9 staff eyewitness, police reports
or newspaper reports.

Several area schools have alcohol/drug policies that are in place to deter
and/or punish student-athletes who chose to violate these rules.