Upper School Parent and Student Handbook 2025-2026

Drugs and Alcohol
One of the most difficult and dangerous social pressures our students face each year is that of alcohol and drug use. This is not a new issue to our community or our families; however, each year, we renew our pledge to do everything in our power to communicate with care and candor to you, our community. Darlington has long stood on the pillars of wisdom, service, and honor. We believe that to live these principles and prepare for a successful life, one must not fall into the dangerous trap of adolescent alcohol and drug use. Therefore, we are doing our best to build clarity around how Darlington defines and enforces our policies.

Darlington’s main goal is to partner with our families to ensure a substance-free Darlington career for all of our students. We believe that being a member of the Darlington Community carries with it a responsibility to act with integrity, not only while school is in session, but also every day of the year – from the first day as a student until the diploma is received at Commencement. We also believe it is our responsibility to provide help to students and families who seek it, while at the same time having a firm hand with those who are unwilling or unable to abide by Darlington’s community standards. 

As we seek to build a healthy and safe community, it is imperative that we make every effort to allow our community members a way to quickly and easily get help if they find themselves or a friend in trouble. We believe the school has a fundamental responsibility to educate our students, faculty, staff, and parents about the risks of drugs and alcohol on developing brains. However, we also believe that building clear parameters against the dangerous use of illegal substances is of the utmost importance as a community that in learns with passion, acts with integrity, and serves with respect.

Our policy – your policy – can be described in four points: Help, Education, Discipline, and Restoration.

Help First: Students with health concerns about themselves or others may seek assistance through any faculty or staff member with whom they feel comfortable sharing either concern. Students who are identified as needing help, and willingly accept it, will be placed on a “health track” and will have no disciplinary repercussions for past offenses.

Students placed on the "health track" will sign a No Use Contract, meet with the Student Life Office for substance use eduction and counseling, and have no further disciplinary consequences.  Should a student violate the terms of their No Use Contract they will meet with the Student Life Office and should expect to go through the disciplinary process.  

Proactive in Education: Darlington will, in every appropriate opportunity, seek to raise awareness in students, faculty, and parents to the dangers and signs of illegal substances. Darlington is an educational institution first, and while we may not be experts in the cutting-edge data on illegal substances, we do seek to be a proactive educator of the most important data and information that we feel are significant for our community to know and understand. We will deliver this information through advisory meetings, assemblies, emails, letters, town hall meetings, and other appropriate avenues of communication.

Reactive in Discipline: Darlington does not actively seek to uncover the possession, use, or distribution of alcohol or drugs in our community. However, in the normal operation of Darlington, information does, at times, come to the school’s attention either through students, parents, community members, or media. If the school learns of any information suggesting that one of our students has been involved in the possession, use, or distribution of illegal substances, the school will react by investigating and assigning the corrective action the school determines appropriate. The following broad guidelines are those the administration follows when faced with alcohol or drug violations:

• The possession of, use of, or being under the influence of alcohol or other drugs on campus or during a school-sponsored trip will subject the student to dismissal.
• The distribution of alcohol or drugs on campus or during a school-sponsored trip will subject the student to dismissal.
• The possession, use, or distribution of alcohol or other drugs off campus – not during a Darlington-sponsored event or an event in which Darlington is participating – will, at least, automatically lead to a No Use Contract.
• If the student is not dismissed on a first offense, and is found guilty of a second alcohol or drug violation, the student will be subject to dismissal from the school.
• Infractions of the Substance Abuse Policy will go before the Discipline Committee for investigation and fact finding. A report will then be issued to the Director of Upper School and the Head of School, who will make the ultimate decision regarding punishment.
• The Head of School, in consultation with the Director of Upper School, will – in all cases – have the authority to enforce stricter counseling efforts or punishments, including dismissal for any violation he deems deserving of such stricter punishment.

Any student who has violated the Substance Abuse Policy and remains enrolled will be required to undergo personal counseling, drug education, student mentoring, and random drug testing. He or she will be suspended for 14 days from all athletic or fine arts competition, or any other event representing Darlington. However, he or she will be allowed to practice. His or her leadership positions will be reviewed and possibly revoked. This includes, but is not limited to, prefect positions, Honor Council, Discipline Committee, etc. He or she will also be placed on a No Use Contract. This contract is an agreement between the student, parent, and school outlining an understanding of partnership and freedom from any association with illegal substances. He or she will remain on this contract until graduation, unless it is removed by the Student Life Office (see below).

Belief in Restoration: We believe that within each determined student who has made a mistake lies the ability to work hard and restore their standing in the school. After being on a No Use Contract for at least one year, a student may petition the Student Life Office to have the leadership restrictions of their No Use Contract removed. The student may be allowed to do this only once in his or her Darlington career. The Student Life Office may approve if it is determined that the student is in good standing in all areas of school life. Removal of the No Use Contract restrictions does not erase the first substance abuse infraction; it only allows the student to seek and hold leadership office in the school.

Again, our ultimate goal of preparing our students for a successful life, no matter how they choose to measure success, is reached through an open partnership between student, parent, and school marked by care and candor. We thank you, in advance, for your understanding and partnership.  

Testing for Illegal Substances                       

Darlington is committed to partnering with our families to help each student make good decisions. The school aims to educate our students, families, and faculty and staff about the negative consequences associated with the use of illegal drugs and misuse of prescription medication, as well as the effects of underage drinking. Darlington’s goal is to equip our community with ways to live a healthy and productive adolescence. 

To this end, Darlington has partnered with Professional Screening and Information, Inc.  to conduct preventative drug screens throughout the school year for students in the Upper School as well as all faculty and staff members Pre-K to 12. PSI, as a third-party vendor, will randomly select members of our community to participate in these preventative drug screens through the use of saliva tests.

On the day of the screen, each member of the community chosen to participate will be asked to answer the following questions openly and honestly.

• First: “Is there any reason that your drug screen will test positive for illegal substances?”
• Second: “Is there any reason that your drug screen will test positive for any medications for which you do not have a prescription?”

Each member of the community must verbally respond yes or no to these questions. Regardless of the responses, the saliva drug screen must be completed by each member of the community who has been randomly selected that day. 

Students who have self reported a violation of the Substance Abuse Policy or who fail the drug screen will be subject to the following:

1. If, on the day of the preventative drug screen, the student notifies our designated point person that he or she will fail the preventative drug screen, the student will have the opportunity to be placed on the “health track.”  
2. If, on the day of the preventative drug screen, the student does not notify our designated point person that he or she will fail the preventative drug screen and PSI reports that the student has failed the screen, he or she will appear before the Discipline Committee and Honor Council. Students who appear before these committees and are allowed to remain Darlington students will be placed on Final Notice, in addition to the educational programs and consequences that are outlined in the Substance Abuse Policy.
3. If, on the day of the preventative drug screen, the student refuses to participate, Darlington will consider the action an admission of guilt and a failed screening.

Parents of students who have been chosen by PSI to participate in the screen will receive an email from the Student Life Office after the completion of the test. The Student Life Office will also send families follow-up communication regarding the results from PSI. 

                                                            
Tobacco/Vaping/Nicotine
Tobacco/nicotine products in any form, including e-cigarettes and vaping, are prohibited on campus. Students who are found using or in possession of tobacco/nicotine in any form will receive the following consequences:

1. The first offense will result in a work detail.
2. The second offense will result in a Saturday School.
3. The third offense will result in a meeting with the Student Life Office and additional consequences.

Any student found smoking with an open flame within a building (cigarettes / cigars) will appear before the Discipline Committee, per our open flame policy in residential section of handbook.

Any student found using or in possession of vaping paraphernalia will be drug tested at parental expense.

Upon enrollment, each student and the parents/guardians of each student are deemed to have given consent to such drug and alcohol tests as found necessary by the school. Darlington will attempt to be in communication with the parents/guardians prior to such testing. Refusal to cooperate in the testing procedure or to the delivery of the test results to the school will be viewed as an admission that a violation has occurred. All testing is at parental expense.