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POLICY ON THE ABUSE OF ILLEGAL
SUBSTANCES & ALCOHOL
This policy was created in accordance with Our
Lady’s Mission Statement.
Our Lady’s Secondary School is a holistic
centre of development and learning where each
person is special and treated as such. We, the
staff and students, enjoy working together to
realise our full potential in a healthy, safe,
stimulating and friendly environment where there
the atmosphere is one of mutual respect,
cooperation and challenge. Christian community
is our heritage and goal, the Good News of the
Gospel is our story.
Introduction
The aim of substance education is to enable
pupils to make healthy informed choices. The
school aims to promote the well being of all
pupils by providing information and coping
strategies to deal with all illegal substances.
The aim of this policy is to acknowledge and
clarify the schools’ role in drug education and
prevention and ensure it is appropriate to
pupils’ needs. The policy provides information
and guidance about drug education, as well as
procedures to respond to any
drug/alcohol-related incident for pupils,
teachers, support-staff and outside individuals.
This policy should be read in conjunction with
the SPHE policy and discipline policy within the
school. This policy applies to all school
related activities as well as school fieldwork
or trips.
Definitions
Drugs: are taken to mean those that are
legal, such as alcohol, tobacco and solvents,
over the counter and prescribed drugs and
including illegal drugs, such as cannabis,
ecstasy, amphetamines etc. used or possessed or
distributed for unauthorized purposes, and
counterfeit (look-alike) controlled substances.
Alcohol: any liquor, wine, beer or other
beverage with alcoholic content.
Drug Paraphernalia: equipment or
apparatus designed for, or used for the purpose
of measuring, packaging, distributing or
facilitating the use of drugs.
Substance Abuse: the use of drugs or
alcohol in violation of state law, or in
violation of School Board policy.
Evidence of Prior Use: observable
impaired mental or physical abilities resulting
from substance abuse.
The drugs/substances covered by this policy are
not to be bought. sold, exchanged or brought
onto school premises during the school day, or
during school trips. Individual exceptions may
be made for pupils who require prescription
medicines where appropriate and this will be
approved by the principal.
Objectives
• To provide opportunities for pupils to
acquire knowledge and understanding
about the dangers of smoking, taking alcohol and
misuse of drugs.
• To provide opportunities for pupils to
be equipped with the knowledge, attitudes and
skills they need to avoid the misuse of illegal
substances.
Aims of Substance Abuse
Policy
Our school's aims for our drug education
programme are as follows:
-
To improve student’s knowledge of drugs and
their effects on the human body
-
To support parents in their effort to
educate their children in alcohol and
substance abuse
-
To raise student’s awareness of the
consequences of drug use and misuse to the
individual, the family, peers, local
communities and society
-
To increase awareness of ways of minimising
the risks and unwanted consequences of drug
use.
-
To enable student’s to make (or plan to
make) informed and sensible decisions about
their drug use
-
To enable student’s to develop a range of
skills and techniques appropriate for
handling situations related to drugs and
drug use.
-
To promote student’s understanding of the
reasons why drugs are used and misused.
-
To encourage student’s to find satisfaction,
challenge, pleasure, emotional variety, and
excitement through a range of activities.
-
To help student’s to explore and develop
their own attitudes to drug use.
-
To enable student’s to identify sources of
information and appropriate personal support
and be able to make use of these sources if
they require them.
Drug Education
First Year:
SPHE programme will cover the topics of alcohol
and tobacco including the viewing of a DVD.
Second Year:
Students will receive their first drug education
talk in conjunction with their SPHE classes in
addition to viewing a relevant DVD.
Third Year:
The topic will be covered as part of the SPHE
course with the possibility of a visit from the
Garda Liaison Officer.
Transition Year:
A staff member will give a third drug and
solvent awareness talk.
Senior Cycle:
Additional programmes will be covered where
appropriate. These may take the form of DVDS or
Guest Speakers.
Parents:
The Parents’ Association will attempt to
organise Drug Education Talks for parents by
either a doctor or member of a n Gardai on
warning signs and effects of drug and alcohol
use as part of their programme.
On the whole, it will be teachers who will teach
drug education but, where appropriate, outside
visitors may make a contribution. Such visitors
will be used in a planned way and their
contributions evaluated.
SCHOOL PRACTICE ON THE MISUSE OF SUBSTANCES
1. The rules regarding illegal substances are
outlined in the school journal.
2. Parent/Guardians will be contacted in the
event of their son/daughter misusing any illegal
substance.
· After a process of consultation with the
parents/pupils a programme of support will be
recommended.
· The school insists that if the student is to
remain in the school he/she must participate in
the agreed programme of support. This does not
prohibit the school from imposing sanctions
which it considers appropriate in accordance
with the school’s code of behaviour.
3. A student who then continues to misuse
illegal substances will be asked to leave the
school either temporarily or permanently.
4. A student who supplies illegal substances to
other person(s) in the school will be
temporarily or permanently excluded.
· Illegal substances confiscated in the school
will be passed on to the appropriate authorities
for identification purposes.
5. Parents/Guardians or any other interested
groups are welcome to visit the school and
discuss any aspect of the policy.
6. The school recognises that a disclosure of a
drug related issue can been seen as a request
for help and support and thus will be taken into
account when dealing with the matter.
7. The school will, at its discretion
distinguish between information received through
disclosure and information obtained in another
way.
Drug situations – medical emergencies
Before assistance arrives:
If the person is conscious:
• ask the person what has happened and
try to identify any drug used
• collect any drug sample and any
vomit for medical analysis
• do not induce vomiting
keep the person under oberservation
If the person is unconscious:
• ensure that the person can
breathe and place in the recovery position
• do not attempt to
make the person stand or sit
• do not move the
person in the event of any possible injuries
sustained when the person collapsed
• do not attempt to
give a drink or food by mouth until medical
help has arrived
Signed:
Date; Mar 7th 2011
Date of Review: Mar 2013
Referral System
Suspicion by teacher
↓
Referral to principal
↓
Evaluation by principal
↓
↓ ↓
Unfounded Use is
proven Continued suspicion
↓
↓ ↓
Student returns Disciplinary
action Staff monitor student
to
class taken and parents
informed
Use and possession
↓
School drug policy into effect
↓
↓
↓
Student
Parent/Guardian Gardai
↓
↓ ↓
Interviewed and Meeting
and informed Notified of
violation
Disciplinary
action of action being taken
taken
Record of drug-related situation
Tick the appropriate category below
□
intoxication □ suspicion □
discovery □ pupil disclosure
□ parental concern
Name of pupil: ________________________________
Class: ______________
Date of incident: _______________
First aid given: □ yes □
no
If yes, given by whom?
____________________________
Doctor / ambulance called: □ yes
□no
If yes, what time?
________________________________
Drug involved (if known):
_____________________________
Sample found? □ yes □ no
If found where?
____________________________________
Parent / guardian informed:
____________________________
At what time? ____________________
Brief description of symptoms / situation:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other action taken: (eg. Gardai,
counsellor
etc.)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Report form completed by:
___________________________________
Time and date: _________________________
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