Bismarck Public School students might want to think twice about what they do during their free time.

If it involves drugs or drinking, and school administrators find out, it could lead to a six-week suspension from a co-curricular activity, which includes sports or fine arts.

"In activities, we have a lot of latitude," activities director Jim Haussler said April 17. If students were caught drinking or doing something else against North Dakota High School Activities Association bylaws, they had some leverage if it was during that activity season. But, he didn't have a consistent policy to apply for students during the summer or off-season, for those same violations.

The Bismarck School Board changed that with the approval of a policy at its meeting Monday that addresses the summer and off-season.

The policy goes into effect this summer for the upcoming school year.

For smoking, drinking or drug violations, students serve a six-week activity suspension, and then they are suspended for two weeks of competition when their activity is on again, if the suspension started during the summer or off-season of the activity. For a second offense, the violation is 18 weeks, and if the suspension starts in the off-season of the activity, it is a six-week suspension when competition starts.

Activities include athletics as well as drama, speech, debate and music.

Besides anonymous tips, Internet photos and mere presence can get a student a violation. Anonymous tips put the burden on administrators to prove. Internet photos can count as proof of a violation or being at a place where those type of violations occurred, which is mere presence. A student does not have to engage in the prohibited actions to get a suspension, just be somewhere, like a party, where those type of acts are happening.

"We'll take all circumstances into account," Haussler said. "If they do not exercise their reasonable opportunity to remove themselves, they know what's going on, it's no different."

The violations will be tracked on a yearly basis. Violations will not follow students from year-to-year.

Also, students will be required to take an education or intervention program for drugs and alcohol or tobacco before competing in their activities again.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@bismarcktribune.com.)