A North Andover High School student was suspended for five games and stripped of her volleyball captaincy for picking up a friend who had been drinking. The district has a zero tolerance policy for being in the presence of any illegal substance. This raises two questions: Would the same punishment have been given at WHS? How does our policy compare to the policy at North Andover?

Wayland High School’s alcohol and drug policy is outlined in the student handbook. This fall, students received an email regarding a recent addition to this section.

The addendum states that “students who are not under the influence of a controlled substance and who are in the presence of a controlled substance, will not be punished if they are in a supportive role in the situation.”

At the end of last school year, the school council, which consists of the principal, students and other community members, chose to create the addendum to include in this year’s handbooks. The decision was made after a party last year was broken up by the police. Many students, fearing that they would face punishment because they were in the presence of alcohol, ran away. This created safety concerns because students who were seriously intoxicated weren’t being helped.

“If you’re maybe helping someone who is seriously sick or passed out, and you’re the one who makes the phone call to the police or a parent, that’s going to help out in the end and make sure someone’s not dead,” Dean of Students Scott Parseghian said.

This addendum only applies to students who have not been drinking or using drugs. According to the MIAA rules, students found in possession of controlled substances or who are under the influence of these substances must face a minimum two week suspension from competition or 25% of competitions during the season.

Athletic director Steve Cass believes that this policy is fair because it serves as a punishment but still allows students to compete after they have served their suspension.

“The punishment needs to fit the action, and your job is to teach people lessons and keep them safe,” Cass said. “I think here at Wayland, there is a pretty good balance of being fair, teaching lessons and having appropriate consequences.”

Currently, the administration is working to determine a policy that would affect students who participate in other extracurriculars.

“For theater, that’s a little tricky, but there will be suspension as well,” Parseghian said. “We don’t go with the 20% rule, but you may have to miss the dress rehearsal or one night of the performance.”