Drug and Alcohol Abuse Testing

Preamble

The drug and alcohol education and testing policy has been drafted to protect both the student athlete and the JCCC athletic program. Illicit drug and alcohol usage within the context of competitive athletics compromises the physical well-being of the athletic participants, and is a health-safety issue for athletes. Drug and alcohol testing is necessary also to help eliminate performances enhanced through the use of drugs and banned substances, and to protect the integrity of the JCCC program.

Johnson County Community College Athlete Drug and Alcohol Abuse Education, Testing, Prevention and Counseling Policy and Procedures

Note: The following policy constitutes an agreement between the student-athlete and JCCC. No contractual obligation is stated or implied. JCCC may amend this policy from time to time as needed, with or without notice to the student athlete.

I. ALL ATHLETES WHO PRACTICE AND COMPETE FOR VARSITY ATHLETIC TEAMS AT JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE WILL BE REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE TESTING, PREVENTION AND COUNSELING PROGRAM.

II. A drug and alcohol education program shall be an integral part of the program, as well as testing, counseling and sanctions as they are appropriate.

III. Each athlete shall be presented with a copy of the JCCC drug and alcohol testing policy and will be required to sign a consent form agreeing to undergo drug and alcohol testing and agreeing to the release of the results thereof. The release form is one of several that must be signed in order for the athlete to begin participation with any JCCC athletics team.

• A percentage of the members from each JCCC athletics team may be tested at any time during the academic year, or as long as any team’s season may extend into the summer. Those teams that have qualified for national competition at the end of the regular season may be subject to an additional random test within the team. The athletes from each team will be chosen at random, so each athlete will have an equal chance of being chosen.

IV. Athletes may also be requested by the head team coach, the head athletic trainer, or the director of athletics, under the authority of the Vice President of Student Services to participate in the drug and alcohol testing program if:

• There is reasonable suspicion of drug or alcohol usage which could be a significant health and/or safety issue for the athlete and/or the team.
• In which case a coach requests “reasonable suspicion” drug or alcohol testing on an athlete, the coach must sign and date a request form. The coach will be required to list in detail his/her observed reasons for suspicion of drug abuse in the case of this specific athlete.
• Specific criteria must be met in order for a “reasonable suspicion” request to be honored.
• When possible, dates and times should also be documented. The coach will then turn in to the head athletic trainer the completed request form.
• The final decision to test on suspicion shall be at the complete discretion of the head athletic trainer (and his/her expert consultants if desired) based upon the coach’s detailed written request, the head athletic trainer’s professional judgment, and any additional information the head athletic trainer might gather as part of his/her consultations and investigation.

V. REFUSAL OF THE ATHLETE TO TEST FOR DRUGS OR ALCOHOL AT THE PRE-PARTICIPATION PHYSICAL EXAMS, OR WHEN THEY WALK-ON, OR AT ANY TIME DURING THE YEAR, WILL RESULT IN THE ATHLETE BEING DECLARED INELIGIBLE FOR PARTICIPATION.

Any athlete refusing to participate in the drug and alcohol testing program will be immediately suspended from the team until such time as the Director of Athletics has had an opportunity to review his/her case.

• “Refusing to participate” shall include but not necessarily be limited to “failure to show” at a designated drug and alcohol testing date, time and location, to include late arrival past the designated “drop dead” time on the date, and at the location, of the announced test. Specific procedures and potential disciplinary actions are outlined in the Athlete Handbook. Each case will be handled on an individual basis by the Director of Athletics. The level of penalty shall be at the sole discretion of the JCCC Director of Athletics.

Random Drug and Alcohol Test Notification Procedure:

Frequently during the school year, a percentage of JCCC athletes will be chosen at random to participate in the program.

A. Drug and alcohol testing will be conducted by an independent testing agency and laboratory chosen for the rigor of their privacy safeguards and chain of custody procedures.
B. Athletes will be chosen randomly for testing via a computerized randomization program.
C. Generally, the testing will be held on campus, but occasionally, an athlete will be asked to travel off site to the testing agency, at their own expense, to the independent laboratory facility to participate in the specimen collection process.
D. The sample donation process will be DIRECTLY OBSERVED by testing personnel.
E. There will be no more than 12 hours’ notice given to the athletes about an upcoming test.
F. The head athletic trainer will notify the head coaches by 9:00 AM on the day of a test.
G. The athlete’s head coach will notify the athlete either verbally/via email or by telephone or voice mail, of the time and place of the upcoming test.

• IT IS THE SOLE REPSONSIBILITY OF EACH ATHLETE TO CHECK THEIR VARIOUS COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA FREQUENTLY AND ON A REGULAR BASIS.
• WHEN A DRUG TEST IS ANNOUNCED, EACH ATHLETE WILL BE EXPECTED TO APPEAR PREPARED TO PARTICIPATE AT THE DESIGNATED TIME, PLACE AND DATE.

H. The athlete is to reply to the coach’s drug test notification message as soon as he/she receives it.
I. Each randomly selected athlete shall report to the designated drug testing location at the announced time and date.
J. The “drop dead” time after which the athlete shall be considered officially late for their announced testing time, shall be 20 minutes.
K. If the athlete is going to be late to their appointed testing time, they are REQUIRED and expected to call either their head coach or the head athletic trainer immediately. The athlete must give an approximate time of arrival!
L. Appeals to the “drop dead” time will be considered. Each appeal will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Decisions made are at the sole discretion of the director of athletics and the head athletic trainer.

• IT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH ATHLETE TO CHECK THEIR VARIOUS COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA FREQUENTLY AND ON A REGULAR BASIS.
• WHEN A DRUG TEST IS ANNOUNCED, EACH ATHLETE WILL BE EXPECTED TO APPEAR PREPARED TO PARTICIPATE AT THE DESIGNATED TIME, PLACE AND DATE.

THERE WILL BE RANDOM DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTS ADMINISTERED REGULARLY AND ON AN ONGOING BASIS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR.

From the moment they arrive and are handed over to the testing professionals of the independent testing laboratory, athletes shall not be allowed to eat, drink, go to the restroom without the express permission of the testing site personnel. The athlete may not otherwise leave the visual observation of testing site personnel. Observed specimen collection will be conducted and monitored by trained personnel of the independent testing laboratory. Strictest procedures to protect the privacy of the athlete will be maintained by the testing site and laboratory personnel.

• THE ATHLETE MAY BRING ALONG TO DRUG TESTING, ONE (1) WITNESS TO OBSERVE THE COLLECTION PROCEDURE, IF THEY SO CHOOSE.

The athlete must identify the witness to the drug testing personnel immediately upon arrival at the designated site, and the witness must adhere to all rules governing the drug testing site, both written and implicit.

Student athletes who are taking any medications or dietary supplements on a regular basis must tell the athletic training staff (generally on the designated space on the athlete’s pre-participation physical exam form). The prescribing physician will be contacted to verify the prescription, to establish a medical exception for athletes found positive for ONLY the medication(s) they have been prescribed.

An athlete who is currently taking any prescribed medication on a temporary basis MUST bring the original bottle containing the prescribed medication to the testing location and present it to testing personnel immediately upon choosing a beaker with which to produce their sample for testing.

If an athlete is unable to attend the random drug and alcohol testing due to a justifiable reason of absence from JCCC on the scheduled date and time, (as determined solely by the director of athletics).

A. There will have been a randomly drawn list of alternates, or

B. The athlete will be required, within 24 hours of the original time and date announced for the current testing session, to travel at their own expense to the independent testing agency and submit a viable sample.

NOTE: No student shall unlawfully manufacture, distribute, dispense, possess or use a controlled substance, as defined in the Controlled Substances Act (K.S.A. 65-4101 as amended from time to time) on any college owned or college-operated property, or at any college-sponsored event either on or off campus. Appropriate disciplinary action will also be taken by the college as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.

Any athlete who is reported and verified as having been arrested while under the influence of any illegal substance (including alcohol), will be treated as if they had produced a positive drug screen. All provisions of this policy will apply.

Substances of Concern:

A. Alcohol

The use of alcohol by JCCC athletes is prohibited by team rules and the rules of the athletics department. ANY CONFIRMED ILLICIT ALCOHOL USE WILL BE TREATED AS IF IT WERE A POSITIVE DRUG SCREEN. In addition, the athlete will be subject to penalties as established by their team, the athletics department, or JCCC as outlined in the Student Handbook.

B. “Street” Drugs of Abuse

The use of drugs of abuse by JCCC athletes is prohibited by team rules and the rules of the athletics department. ANY CONFIRMED ILLICIT DRUG USE WILL BE TREATED AS IF IT WERE A POSITIVE DRUG SCREEN. In addition, the athlete will be subject to penalties as established by their team, and the athletics department, or JCCC as outlined in the Student Handbook.

1)Marijuana 2)Amphetamines 3) Cocaine 4) Ecstasy 5)Alcohol. 6) See note below.

Note: Broader ranging drug screens may be used at any time which may detect common pain medications, sedatives, LSD, or other drugs.

C. Anabolic steroid screens may be utilized based upon reasonable suspicion

D. Tobacco

The use of tobacco is banned by all athletics governing boards. The following has been proven about the use of tobacco:

• Tobacco causes more colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema (severe damage to the air sacks in the lungs) and heart disease than in non-smokers.
• Tobacco causes more absenteeism due to illness than in non-smokers.
• Tobacco use results in immediately reduced aerobic capacity.
• Tobacco use results in immediate negative effects on the circulatory system
• Tobacco has been directly correlated with the development of most cancers.
• Spit tobacco is directly associated with a significantly increased incidence of cancers of the mouth, gums, tongue, throat and stomach.
• Spit tobacco is just as addictive as smoked tobacco.

The use of tobacco is viewed as a serious threat to the health and well-being of the athlete. Tobacco is banned by all sports governing bodies. Use of tobacco at sports contests may result in individual or team penalties. This policy, and all other applicable team or sports association rules may be used in regard to discovery of an athlete’s use of tobacco in any form.

Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements can Be Hazardous!

• The manufacture and distribution of dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA.
• Several studies by independent laboratories have shown that the contents of off-the-shelf dietary supplements can be inconsistent in terms of potency and actual ingredients contained within a particular bottle of supplement.
• Many of the claims made for the benefits of dietary supplements are based on incomplete or over-stated data.
• Some dietary supplements can produce false-positive drug screens.

Before taking any supplements, check with the certified athletic trainers or check The Resource Exchange Center (REC) a The National Center for Drug Free Sport. Athletes wishing to access the REC site should check with a JCCC athletic trainer to obtain the access code.

Counseling Procedure

Suspension Phase

Subsequent Drug Screenings

Appeal Procedures

Drug-testing Consent Form

Criteria for Reasonable Suspicion Drug-testing

Coach’s Request for Reasonable Suspicion Test

Summary of Policy and Procedures