C550-R – STUDENT SEARCH AND SEIZURE ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES/REGULATIONS

ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES/REGULATIONS

The following guidelines implement Board Policy C550 on student search and seizure.

Collection and Analysis of Data

A committee consisting of Administrators and the Coordinator of Safety and Security shall be responsible for collecting, summarizing, and reporting information to all employees that will assist the District in:

• identifying circumstances which indicate the presence of a contraband on school property or at a school activity; or
• describing those circumstances in detail sufficient to constitute “individualized, reasonable suspicion.”

Parking Agreement

Each student bringing a vehicle on school property and the owner of each vehicle brought on school property by a student shall sign the Student Parking Agreement document found on the FCHS website.

Record Keeping

For each search of a student or a student’s property, an administrator shall submit a memorandum to the principal stating:

• the information upon which the search was based, i.e. the individualized, reasonable suspicion;
• the time, date, location, persons present, and students and/or places searched;
• a description of each item seized and its disposition; and
• the time and date of notice to the parent or guardian

In addition the principal, this memorandum shall be sent to the Coordinator of Safety and Security as coordinator of the committee within one week of the search.  A copy of each memorandum shall be kept by an administrator in each building designated by the principal and shall be kept separate from the named student’s cumulative educational records information.

Correspondence Concerning Seized Items

Where the owner of a seized item of value that may be lawfully possessed does not respond to at least two phone calls and/or emails to pick up a seized item, the principal or a designee shall notify the owner in writing that the item must be picked up within thirty (30) calendar days or the item will be destroyed or utilized by the school.  No seized item shall be treated as personal property by a school employee.

Breath Test Procedures

An administrator with individualized reasonable suspicion to believe a student has consumed an alcoholic beverage shall arrange through Security for a breath test on a law enforcement or District breath test instrument.

Each breath test shall be administered by a person trained to utilize the test instrument employing the procedures prescribed by the manufacturer for the administration of accurate tests.  An administrator shall have the option to have the breath test performed bya law enforcement officer certified by the Indiana Department of Toxicology [“the Department”] using an instrument and procedures approved by the Department.  A written report of the date, time, circumstances, and result of each breath test shall be forwarded to the Coordinator of Safety and Security within two instructional days after administration of the test.

Blood and Urine Tests

A test of a student’s blood or urine for the presence of a drug or drug metabolite may be administered to a student with the written permission of the student’s parent/guardian.  The test sample shall be collected by a person designated by the superintendent or his or her designee and trained to collect a specimen for analysis.  The integrity of the test sample shall be carefully preserved at all times through a strict chain of custody.  The sample shall be tested in a laboratory certified pursuant to regulations of the United States Department of Transportation using a split sample initial and confirmatory test and using different testing technologies for each test. Test results shall be reported to the District’s Health Services Supervisor for interpretation to the Superintendent, principal, parent/guardian, and student.

Adopted: 7/27/2020