Last week, Jim Quirico was correct. Hillsborough students, parents and residents are too unaware of the possible policy regarding random drug testing in the Hillsborough Township School District.
The Board of Education’s Jan. 3 meeting exemplified this point when only five members of the community spoke, two of which were from the Hunterdon Central School District.
According to the current superintendent of the Hunterdon Central School District, a district which implements testing, this type of random drug testing would prove to diminish the number of drug and alcohol users within the school system without utilizing suspension or expulsion (as per the State Court’s ruling).
In the 2004/2005 school year, the high school administered a drug and alcohol survey within the student body to determine the magnitude of this supposed issue. The results, which have yet to be fully published by the Board of Education, are rather inapplicable. Even though it was an anonymous survey, the results are still skewed. As a result of a natural fear of getting caught and teenage immaturity, the validity of these tests comes into question.
In addition, considering this survey was accurate, it is still irrelevant. Those students who were polled will be graduates of the Hillsborough School District by the time this policy has been implemented.
While it may be wise to test the class of 2008, there is no data to analyze relative to those classes that would be affected. It would be wise for the district to resample the high school and gather sufficient and accurate data.
Also, the Board of Education cites an online survey, in which 70 percent of all who participated supported random drug testing in Hillsborough Schools. Although this seems to indicate strong support for such a policy, there is no indication of where it is coming from.
To my knowledge, residents of other towns and communities could not only vote, but vote more than once. Clearly this online poll was an accurate representation of the town; otherwise there would have been a larger turnout on Jan. 3rd.
Lastly, if this policy is to be utilized within the district in the coming years, utilize a rehabilitation program that will make a difference. The policy, in its current form, does not account for the length or extent of drug use. Would it not be more beneficial to determine which students have problems with habitual drug use rather than infrequent recreational use.
Why not utilize hair tests for those students who test positive? It may be a more expensive route, but if the goal is to help the student body, then the negligible cost is necessary.
Whether you agree with this statement or not, present your opinion to the community at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 at Auten Road Intermediate School. As Mr. Quirico stated, feedback from every sector of the community is an absolute necessity.
Andrew Douglas, of Sutphin Lane
