Revision may include introducing random drug tests in the high school.
By: Eileen Oldfield
After 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, which may include introducing random drug tests in the high school.
In an update to the Board of Education at the June 18 meeting, Committee Chairman Dave Kanaby said his group received more than 800 responses to an online survey on the district’s Web site. The survey was conducted from March until June of 2007.
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 use surveys that high school students completed two years ago before it forms a final policy. The student surveys showed an increase in the drug use from the ninth to the 12th grade, with 11 percent of ninth grade students trying drugs, and 24 percent of 12th grade students using drugs.
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," Mr. Kanaby said. "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 2004-2005 student surveys came into question, because board members were concerned that many of the students surveyed graduated. The 64 percent of the 1,260 students surveyed during the 2004-2005 school year were freshman at the time of the survey, and would still be attending the school.
Additional concerns included Hunterdon Central’s 2002 court case, where parents challenged the need for random drug tests. In that case, the student surveys showed a need for drug testing, and Hunterdon’s drug tests were kept in place.
The final revisions have not come under review yet, and the board has not determined when to start the new policy in the school.

