Sports

Harsher Penalties Proposed for Chippewa Athletes Using Drugs, Alcohol

If proposed changes to Chippewa Valley's Athletic Code of Conduct are adopted, student athletes in the district could face much harsher penalties if reported for tobacco, alcohol or drug use.

Student athletes in Chippewa Valley Schools could soon be held to a much stricter Athletic Code of Conduct.

Athletic Director Kari Drogosh proposed a series of changes Monday that promise to strengthen the current code's penalties for substance abuse by student athletes should the school board vote to adopt them.

These proposed changes come after more than two years of committee meetings with district administrators, coaches and booster clubs, during which members studied the recommendations, statistics and examples offered by American Athletic Institute President John Underwood in his “Life of an Athlete” substance education program.

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“I appreciate the code as it is currently written, but I appreciate changes we are proposing to make, mostly because our student athletes live in a world today where it is easy to say, ‘Yes,’ and hard to say, ‘No,’ and I think that the bottom line is if they look at this code of conduct, maybe, just maybe they’ll think differently,” Drogosh said. “These are all illegal things. We’re not asking them to give up anything that is a God-given right at 14-, 15-, 16-, or 17-years-old.”

The updated code would still apply to all Chippewa Valley athletes in grades seven through 12, and be valid 365 days a year. The most significant changes would come in the section on substance abuse.

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Whereas the current code addresses the use of tobacco, alcohol and other illicit drugs in three separate sections, each with its own penalty, the updated code would combine the three into one and apply the same penalities for all.

“John Underwood suggested we put all three together, because we are in essence saying one of the punishments for alcohol is not as strict as for other drugs,” Drogosh said.

Here's how penalties in the current code compare to proposed changes. Proposed changes are noted in bold:

Tobacco

  • First Offense - Sit out 5 percent of competitions (one quarter or one half of a game). Only in the case of tobacco will the first offense be punished by requiring an athlete sit out only 10 percent of his or her competitions.
  • Second Offense - Sit 10 percent of competitions.
  • Third and Additional Offenses - Sit 30 percent of competitions plus

Alcohol

  • First Offense - Sit out 10 percent of competitions, plus referral to counseling department.
  • Second Offense - Sit out 20 percent of competitions plus school substance abuse program.
  • Third and Additional Offenses - Sit out 40 percent of competitions plus outside program referred by school.

Drugs/Illegal substances 

  • First Offense - Sit out 20 perecnt of competitions, plus referral to counseling department, plus outside program, referred by school.
  • Second Offense - Removal from current team plus sit out 40 percent of competitions of next participating opportunity, plus outside program referred by school.
  • Third and Additional Offenses - Suspension from all competitions for the remainder of middle school or high school career.

Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs/Illegal substances

  • First Offense - Sit out 25 percent of competitions and must complete the online "Life of an Athlete" course. This course educates students on what happens to their body when they abuse substances like drugs and alcohol.
  • Second Offense - Sit out 50 percent of competitions and must have a professional consultation selected by the school district and paid for by the athlete.
  • Third Offense - Suspension from all competitions for the remainder of middle school or high school career.

To give students the benefit of the doubt, the updated code would not apply middle school offenses to a student's high school athletic record. 

However, if the consequences of an athlete's actions are considered severe enough, the updated code would allow an adminstrator to bypass the first and second offenses and immediately apply permanent suspension. This would be used primarily in cases of theft, extortion, vandalism, assault, sexual midsconduct, or hazing.

Other proposed changes to the code include:

  • Add bowling and hockey, sports that are self-funded at both high schools, to the updated code
  • Reconize the Athletic Code of Conduct as working in conjunction with the school district’s Code of Conduct
  • Eliminate the self-referral portion of the code.

Although these changes are still subject to approval by the board of education, trustees did adopt a new district policy on concussions and head injuries.


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