Mars Area School Board has adopted District Policy 227.1 Random Drug Testing, to aid in creating an alcohol and drug-free setting for all students and District employees. The new policy, an extension of the District’s substance use/abuse policy, applies to all students in Grades 7-12 who opt to participate on any interscholastic athletic team, in a paid extracurricular activity, or who are issued a parking permit.

 

It is the belief of the Mars Area School District that participation on any interscholastic athletic team, extracurricular activity or driving/parking a personal vehicle is a privilege, not a right. Students who volunteer to participate in these programs are expected to accept the responsibilities granted to them by this privilege. These students, as well as their parents/guardians, must also recognize that because of their choice to participate in these activities, they have a lesser expectation of privacy than do other students.

 

The effects of drug usage, in particular, in an educational environment are visited not just upon the users, but also upon the entire student body and faculty, because the educational process may be disrupted and the individual’s safety risk factor is increased. With regard to school athletes and students who drive, the risk of immediate physical harm to the drug or alcohol user or those with whom the student is playing a sport or sharing the highway is particularly high.