School & College

Formulating a School or College Drug Policy

Schools may choose to develop a policy on drug use for a number of reasons, which include the need to:

clarify legal and moral issues;
minimise the harm and potential dangers associated with drugs;
ensure that consistent procedures are followed in specific situations;
reduce the likelihood of over-reaction and ‘spur of the moment’ decisions;
avoid an emphasis on punitive responses to drug use as the only strategy that may be used;
ensure a coordinated, ongoing and effective response to drug-related issues;
signal to students, parents and the community that the school is tackling the issue of drug use.

Some of the issues that schools may need to discuss before and during development of a policy are:

Who will be involved in developing the policy?
What will be the process of development? (Stages may involve: consultation; needs analysis; consideration of other school's models; first draft; feedback; redraft; launch; implementation and review).
Who will be consulted (students; staff; parents; outside agencies; the local community; local doctors and pharmacists; feeder schools; support services staff; bus drivers)?
Who will the policy apply to (students; staff; visitors)?
How and when will the policy be introduced and publicised?
Which drugs will be addressed in the policy? Will there be separate policies for drinking and smoking?
Are there any particularly sensitive issues in the local community that need to be considered?
What actions will be mandatory for all staff, and which regarded as "good practice"?
What resources and support services are available in the school and in outside agencies?
Is staff drug use a problem and how will this issue be dealt with?
What disciplinary measures will be involved and how will disciplinary actions available under the Education Act be applied and in what circumstances?
Who is the audience for the policy and how widely will it be circulated?
How will the policy be upheld and implemented?
How will staff receive professional development to implement the policy?
How will the policy be evaluated and updated?

When determining the drug education program that a school will implement, the following issues need to be considered:

How will educational programs be provided for students as a whole?
How will the particular educational needs of students who are using drugs be provided?
What aspect of the curriculum/teaching program will drug education be part of?
Who will be responsible for teaching drug education?
What use, if any, will be made of outside agencies and support personnel?
What professional development do staff need to have?

When devising strategies for harm reduction and management, the sections on harm reduction and management need to be covered.