What Are Districts' Written Policies Regarding Student Substance-Related Incidents?

Recent events have increased interest in district policies relating to student substance use and whether they best serve the needs of their communities and students. To better understand the nature of the policies that may be in use around the country, the Institute of Education Sciences commissioned a study to examine the features of the written substance-related policies for the 100 largest school districts in the country. Key findings include:

• A large majority of districts indicate that students may or will be reported to law enforcement for incidents involving the possession or use (86 percent of districts) or sale or distribution (87 percent of districts) of alcohol or drugs.
• Other responses include principal-determined suspensions (98 percent of districts indicate that students may or will be subject to a principal-determined suspension for possession or use; 84 percent of districts indicate that students may or will be subject to a principal-determined suspension for sale or distribution), recommendation for an expulsion hearing (90 percent for possession or use; 94 percent for sale or distribution), placement in an alternative schooling program (80 percent for possession or use; 71 percent for sale or distribution), and parent conference or notification (85 percent for possession or use; 82 percent for sale or distribution).
• Nearly one-third of districts (30 percent) report having graduated sanctions for repeat offenses. For example, 15 percent of districts explicitly allow principals to increase the duration of a suspension for possession or use if it is the student's second offense.