Buncombe County Board Policy – #450
Suspension of Participants in Interscholastic Athletics
It shall be the policy of the Buncombe County Board of Education to have the following guidelines used in dealing with
student-athletes who have allegedly consumed alcoholic beverages or used controlled substances (illicit drugs) during
the school year:
I.
Any student-athlete who has possessed or consumed an alcoholic beverage or a controlled substance (illegal drug)
during the school year, as defined in North Carolina General Statute 90-87 without a medical prescription, shall
lose his eligibility in all interscholastic athletic programs of this school system for a period of time; the duration
shall be initially set at 100 percent of athletic contests (regular and postseason) and will begin upon the
completion of the principal’s investigation of the alleged violation. The number of athletic contests will be
determined on a percentage basis using the total regular season contests allowed by the North Carolina High
School Athletic Association within the current support of participation. In the event that a student-athlete violates
the policy during a period of an off-season, the penalty will be assigned within the next season of participation
using the number of regular season contests allowable for that sport. Likewise, if the violation occurs during a
sport season without an adequate number of remaining contests to fulfill the percentage requirements, the next
season of sports participation will be used to complete the percentage of contests remaining.
II.
Student-athletes suspended in violation of this policy will be allowed to participate in all practice and
conditioning sessions of the team excluding interscholastic scrimmages, regular season contests and post-season
competition.
III.
No student-athlete who is disqualified from interscholastic athletic competition shall be permitted to participate in
the interscholastic athletic program of another school within this system during the period of disqualification.
IV.
Nothing herein shall prohibit a coach of an interscholastic athletic program from exercising reasonable discipline
over athletes during a sports season for infractions of team rules promulgated by the coach or school.
V.
Upon an alleged violation of the above stated guidelines, the following procedures must be followed:
• The alleged violator must be given ten (10) days notice of the allegation prior to a hearing by the
school-based athletic committee. This time period provides the student-athlete with an opportunity to
gather facts in his defense and to make arrangements for a parent or guardian to accompany him to the
hearing.
• Participation in sports is a privilege not a legal right. Therefore, the student may not be represented by an
attorney during a hearing by a school-based or system-based athletic committee.
• The school-based athletic committee will consist of (1) the athletic director, (2) a faculty member of
the school which the student attends, and (3) a faculty member from another school within the school’s
feeder district. None of the members may act on behalf of the student- athlete or the accuser. This
process is to insure an impartial hearing for the student-athlete.
• The school-based athletic committee will hear all the evidence and make recommendations to the
principal of the school who will make the final determination. The recommendation from the schoolbased athletic committee will strictly and solely reference support or non-support of the decision to
institute the status of ineligibility for the student-athlete.
• Confrontation and cross-examination of witnesses will not be required unless the school-based athletic
committee is unable to make a recommendation based on the evidence presented.
• Upon initiation of a suspension by the principal, the suspension will be subject to revocation at any time after the
student-athlete completes the status of ineligibility for 25 percent of the initial contests. A revocation will be
determined upon an initial recommendation from the principal to the Associate Superintendent’s office for the
student-athlete to present his appeal to a system-based athletic committee.
• The system-based athletic committee will consist of a faculty representative from each of the six
districts. The system-based committee will give due consideration to whether or not the student has
complied with all school rules and policies during the period of suspension. The representative from the
school district the student-athlete attends will serve in a non-voting capacity during the hearing.
Attendees at the hearing will be limited to parents or guardians and school faculty/staff. Written
statements of support from school-based staff and community representatives may be submitted for
consideration yet must be provided to the Associate Superintendent’s office twenty-four (24) hours prior
to the hearing. Upon completion of the hearing, the system-based committee will determine restoration
of the student-athlete’s eligibility and provide the decision in writing to the Associate Superintendent.
“I have read the above and understand the expectation and consequences of my actions.”
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Student-Athlete’s Signature
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Today’s Date
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Parent/Legal Guardian’s Signature
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Today’s Date