The Mt. Lebanon School District's $113.3 million renovation of its high school has, in effect, been halted after the municipality's zoning board denied two variances the school district had requested.

School board President Ed Kubit said at this week's school board meeting that he was disappointed in the outcome of last week's hearing, but the district will continue to push ahead with its plan.

The next architect's update on the proposed high school will be held April 12 in the high school library.

But the unanimous denials by the three-member zoning board have created a significant roadblock for the proposed high school renovation, a project that dates back to a facility assessment in 2001 that found many of the building's systems were near the end of their use. Actual planning for the renovation began with a space study in 2006.

At a zoning board hearing last week, the school district requested two variances for its high school plan. Zoning requirements mandate that the lot coverage, or the percentage of the high school land covered by buildings, pavement and other non-permeable surfaces, be no more than 50 percent.

The school district currently has lot coverage of 54.57 percent. Under the proposed high school design, the lot coverage would drop to 54.43 percent.

Zoning requirements for the lot also require 528 parking spaces. The high school currently has 502 parking spaces, and the new design would have 505.

The school district had argued that it should receive the variances because the design proposal has "less nonconformity than the current condition," Mr. Kubit said.

But the zoning board denied both variances by 3-0 votes last Thursday. The school district will explore options to move forward with the high school plan, including a possible appeal to Allegheny Common Pleas Court, Mr. Kubit said.

Discussion about the high school project no doubt will continue as the district weighs its options. Since 2007, the high school renovation process has been discussed at 42 school board meetings, where community members are given the opportunity to speak.

At a state-mandated Act 34 hearing last month, more than 35 residents spoke and were split fairly evenly between those who wanted the project to move forward and those who balked at the price tag. An online petition asking the school district to cap the project at $75 million recently amassed a few hundred signatures.

• Also at this week's meeting, the school board unanimously approved the adoption of a drug and alcohol policy to address violations that are not school-related.

The policy, which goes into effect at the beginning of next school year, addresses "use, possession, sale, distribution or procurement of any amount of alcohol, drugs, other controlled substances (other than legally prescribed medications) or drug paraphernalia or being under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other controlled substances."

Confirmation of the conduct would be through law enforcement, the student's parent or guardian, or the student, the policy says.

A first violation calls for students to be restricted from school activities for 30 calendar days. The student also would be required to complete at least a three-hour community service project, but he could have the balance of the punishment rescinded if he underwent a drug and alcohol evaluation by a licensed drug and alcohol counselor, not at the district's expense.

A second violation would result in another 30-day restriction from school activities, and subsequent offenses would result in restriction from school activities for 60 days, excluding summer break.

The school board has been discussing the district's alcohol and drug policies over the past few months after police issued drinking citations to about 40 Mt. Lebanon High School students at two separate parties during October.

At this week's meeting, several board members said this was the most difficult vote they have had to make as board members, and they worried about whether the policy overstepped the bounds of the school district.

"It's not perfect, but it's going to perhaps help," said school director Susan Rose, who suggested the board review the policy a year after its implementation.

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