Westbrook athletes caught in the presence of other students using drugs or alcohol might get one extra chance before being suspended from participating in sports for a year.
The Westbrook School Committee is considering giving students two chances before they are suspended on a third violation.
That change would come after committee members rejected a new policy in a 4-3 vote last week. School Committee Chairwoman Colleen Hilton said in an interview that the committee is in favor of changing the policy, it just needed to tweak the proposal that was voted down last Wednesday.
The potential change in policy has come after at least 10 athletes were recently suspended from their teams for violating the code of conduct. At the committee meeting, several parents spoke in favor of changing the policy.
“The policy is there, and he understands that,” said Mike Cook, guardian of an athlete who has been suspended for a year. “The policy is black and white. But with every incident there’s a different level to the incident, but with the policy you can only attack it in one manner.”
Melissa Foye, a parent of children in the junior high and high school, said she was initially against altering the policy but has since changed her mind after sitting in on meetings with the school committee.
“I think the public has the notion that we are trying to make this easier,” said Foye. “And that is not the case. We are trying to take a different approach.”
Westbrook School Substance Abuse Counselor Bruce Dyer said he thought the policy should be a learning experience and not just a punitive measure. Alcohol use is normalized in society as a whole and with kids as well, he said, and enforcement of the substance abuse policy should make kids rethink how they view drinking and using drugs.
Under the new policy, different penalties would apply to students in different activities, said School Committee member Tim Crellin. A student involved in a service organization, such as the Key Club, for example, wouldn’t be suspended from participating in it as an athlete would.
As written, the code of conduct mandates a two-week suspension from sports teams for the first offense. The athlete may practice with the team after the first week, but must miss at least one contest and must forfeit any leadership roles on the team and any awards he or she might receive during the season. The athlete is also required to get an evaluation with a substance abuse counselor to determine whether he or she wants or needs help.
For a second offense, the student is automatically suspended from activities for a calendar year.
Under the draft revision rejected by the school committee last week, there would be three levels of penalties instead of two. A first infraction would carry a suspension of two weeks from practice and four weeks from contests, as well as a meeting with a substance abuse counselor. The student would not be eligible for awards or leadership roles.
Following a second infraction, the student would be suspended for 10 weeks or the remainder of the season, whichever comes first, with the suspension carrying over to the next season. Students in service clubs, while not allowed to participate in competitive activities, would be able to continue to participate in the service club with their hours going towards fulfilling 30 hours of community service. The student would be required to attend sessions with the school’s substance abuse counselor.
A third infraction, as before, would carry a calendar-year suspension from all activities and would include counseling with the school substance abuse counselor.
According to the school, 22 students from a variety of sports and activities have served or are serving suspensions this year for violating the code of conduct involving alcohol. Four are serving suspensions of a year from activities. The suspensions did not stem from a single event, the school said, and this is the first time any students have been suspended for a year.
The future of the 22 students currently serving suspensions could change if the School Committee votes in the coming weeks to alter the school’s policy and make it retroactive. The committee will meet again on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 7 a.m. to rewrite the proposed revisions, and a vote on the rewritten revision could come as early as the committee’s next scheduled meeting on Nov. 8, according to Crellin.
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