School drug policy still being revised by committee

After reviewing survey results, others schools’ policies,

school board committee is still finalizing policy changes
By:Eileen Oldfield
   After meeting surveying the public and meeting with the school district attorney, the Board of Education’s Policy Committee is starting an extensive revision of the district’s drug policy.
   The committee had more than 800 responses to an online survey from the district’s Web site. The survey was available on the district Web site for four months.
   In addition to the public surveys, the policy committee gathered information on random drug test policies from three school districts, and focused on the Hunterdon Central policy because it’s been around the longest.
   The committee will go over information from high school staff members, as well as drug surveys that high school students completed two years ago before forming a final policy.
   The school district’s attorney also reviewed Hunterdon Central’s drug test policy to see how the policy would adapt to the Hillsborough school system. Items that need updating include hearing procedures for students, and an appeal process for positive test results.
   "The Hunterdon Central policy had one deficiency," said Policy Committee head Dave Kanaby. "It does not contain a procedure by which a student or parents can challenge a positive test result."
   The age of the data from the 2004 student surveys came into question; however, enough of the students participating are still at the school.
   The policy advances follow the student survey from 2004, a parent survey from 2005, and an unsuccessful drug search in 2006. The final policy has not come under review yet, and the board has not determined a date to start the policy in the school.