Regarding an incident earlier this month in which 18 of 24 Oak Park High School football team players were caught or admitted drinking alcohol on a team trip, school officials have announced the consequences. The six-step plan affects all players, seven identified by law enforcement the night of the infraction on July 7 and 11 who came forward and admitted their involvement. (The entire team numbers about 50 players). Consumption of alcohol by students is a violation of team, school and Oak Park Unified School District policy as well as state law. The announcement came last Friday from Principal Cliff Moore after careful investigation, multiple meetings at the campus and district levels with students, parents and educators. The goal was "to change how students and some parents view consumption of alcohol by students." Moore announced the action in a meeting with students and in a letter mailed to the involved students and parents. All involved students have been suspended from this summer’s conditioning practices and summer passing league in which they had been participating during the incident. Each player will also be suspended from two football games. Nine of the players will miss the first two games and the remaining nine will miss games three and four. They will be able to practice, but cannot suit up for games, travel or sit with the team on game nights. All students and parents must also complete an alcohol intervention program. The first of the weekly meetings on July 13 included 27 football players and an equal number of parents. It also included nine players not involved in the incident. Students must complete 30 hours of community service under the supervision of officer Rich Randolph from the Cops and Jocks program. They’re also required to actively provide leadership for student-directed activities aimed at curbing teenage drinking in Oak Park. The final requirement places those involved on probation for one year. They will be immediately suspended from school activities if there’s any further violation. Other penalties could also apply. Any students failing to adhere to the six-step plan will be suspended from all co-curricular activities including athletics. Several Oak Park High School (OPHS) football players were cited by the Santa Barbara authorities for drinking alcohol while attending an overnight school-sanctioned trip to Santa Ynez to participate in a passing league tournament. According to Sgt. Mark Liddi from the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, seven of eight OPHS players and four Santa Ynez football players tested positive for alcohol. Marilyn Lippiatt, superintendent of schools for the Oak Park School District, confirmed that a total of 18 students were involved and all of the issues relate to all 18 students. "I met with the parents of seven of the students twice to discuss the situation," Lippiatt said. Liddi said that police officers responded to a disturbance call at a local elementary school, but by the time deputies reached the school, the students had already left the area and were at a local residence where the students had been invited to stay. A search of the school property and the front yard of the residence turned up empty and partially consumed beer cans. Liddi said peace officers tested the kids and found that the majority of them had been drinking, but several had not.
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