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No decisions were made Monday night, but plenty of opinions were shared as the Warsaw school board listened to debate on proposed changes to the high school's athletic code.
Most of the parents who spoke said they believe the proposed penalties for code violations are too strict. All of the students who spoke at the meeting said they thought the proposed athletic code is fair.
At issue are revisions the school board is considering to the athletic code for Warsaw Community High School. The proposed code specifies that if a student athlete violates the school's drug and alcohol policy, the first violation will result in a suspension from participation in athletic competition for one full year from the date of the offense.
Besides the suspension, the student also would be required to complete 50 hours of in-school service, such as tutoring; attend mandatory Student Assistance Program meetings; and be placed in a separate pool of students for random drug testing.
A second offense would result in another 365-day suspension from sports, as well as the in-school service, SAP and drug testing. A third violation would exclude the student from participating in sports for the remainder of the student's high school career.
Suspended athletes still would be able to practice and travel with the team, but would not be able to play.
Parents who opposed the policy said they believe the first offense is too strict.
In a democratic system, first-time offenders are usually given leniency, said parent Kay Kelly. "When your child stubbed their toe, you didn't cut off their foot. Don't close the door on kids just because they made their first mistake."
Another parent said, "A 365-day ban on the first offense is draconian."
Other parents proposed that the first-offense penalty be reduced to something less strict, such as a suspension for one-third of the season.
"There's a huge gray area here," said Laurie Parker. "There's a difference between someone who goes out with the intent of drinking and someone who just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and they get tarred with the same brush."
Several students who served on the committee that developed the proposed athletic code revisions stood by their committee's recommendation.
"Every student who knows the policy knows what 365 will do to their athletic career," said a student. "We want 365 to be a deterrent for getting caught in the first place."
"It's not an unachievable goal to not be in that situation (of not violating the code)," said student Eboni Shipp, also a committee member. "I don't think we should be babied."
The proposed code also provides for an extended appeals process in which the student and his or her parents may appeal the suspension to a review committee and then to the school board.
Other parents suggested that there be no coaches on the review committee and that the in-school service policy apply to other violations.
Two school board members said they are wary of treating athletes differently than the rest of the students.
Brad Brail said the school corporation's drug and alcohol policy should apply to athletes as well as the general student population.
"I can think of no good reason to conceive of a separate set of policies for athletes," he said. "... I think we run the risk of giving athletes preferential treatment."
Board member Roy Szymanski said he supports the 365-day suspension, but that "we're placing so much emphasis on athletics it's overwhelming us."
In introducing the proposed athletic code, WCHS principal Paul Crousore said, since 1995, 24 students have been suspended from their sports as a result of violating the code. Of that 24, 14 were seniors, three were juniors, five are sophomores and two are freshmen.
There are 457 student athletes now, Crousore said.
At Monday's work session, the board also considered minor revisions to the policies that deal with such topics as the attendance policy and increasing the number of credits required for graduation.
Proposed changes to the drug and alcohol policy for the student body drew some comments from patrons who questioned the definition of "accessory." As the policy stands, said assistant principal Dr. Jennifer Brumfield, a student who is in the vicinity of a drug deal and who knows the deal is going on can be punished the same as the students who are doing the dealing.
"You need to have very clear guidelines as to how you going to determine the definition of accessory when it's one student's word against another," Parker said.
The school board will vote on the other policies at its May meeting. The athletic code will go back to the board's policy committee for review and a recommendation. The final athletic code will be voted on at the board's June meeting.
