Pubdate: Wed, 27 Feb 2008
Source: Courier News (Bridgewater, NJ)
Copyright: 2008 Courier News
Contact:  http://www.c-n.com/c-n/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2163
Author: Pamela Sroka-Holzmann
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

BOARD PASSES DRUG-TESTING POLICY

HILLSBOROUGH - Local high school students involved in  after-school
activities, sports or with parking permits  -- will be subjected to
random student drug testing  under a measure approved by the
township's Board of  Education.

Despite pleas from several parents and students during  the past few
months urging school board members to vote  against the plan, the
Board approved the second and  final reading of the random student
drug policy in a  5-3 vote Monday evening. The program, which is
expected  to cost $9,000, will be implemented during the 2008-09
school year.

Board members have said the district can apply for a  portion of an
estimated $12.5 million in federal funds  to help offset the cost of
randomly drug testing  students.

The testing -- modeled after the plan at Hunterdon  Central Regional
High School in Raritan Township --  will randomly select via computer
from students  participating in athletics, extracurricular activities,
  school clubs and those who drive to school. Chosen  students will
have a mouth swab or urine screening as  part of the testing
procedure. Students also can be  selected more than once.

The board's policy committee had began discussing  random student drug
testing about four years ago and  revisited the issue last year after
an online board  study found that 70 percent of 800 study participants
  favored random drug testing, said board member David  Kanaby, who
also chairs the policy committee.

Board members Greg Gillette, Frank Blandino and John  Donnadio, who
had opposed the measure, voted against  the policy Monday evening.
Board member Marc Rosenberg  did not attend the meeting because of a
work  obligation.

Donnadio was unsuccessful in his attempts to persuade  board members
to delay the vote until Rosenberg  returned.

"We have students -- good students -- that participate  in activities,
and we're creating this hostile school  environment," Donnadio said.
"I don't think this is  right for the community."

Blandino, also the township's attorney, said, "I'm just  asking you
guys to really think hard about this."  Gillette compared the anxiety
of adults going to the  doctor for blood pressure screenings with
students  having anxiety about being randomly drug tested.

"I think it's going to change the culture for the high  school,"
Gillette said. "I'm not sure it's for the  better."

Hillsborough Superintendent Edward Forsthoffer III,  also made his
opinion known about the plan for the  first time since discussions
began earlier this year.

Forsthoffer said he has a son involved in school  athletics and
activities who doesn't do drugs, but the  superintendent fears student
peer pressure.

"I worry about somebody who intends to follow the  crowd," Forsthoffer
said. "I would worry. I'd like to  think when push came to shove, he
can say "I am on the  football team so I'm not going to do it.' That's
how I  feel now. ... I'd recommend this policy."

Board members David Lin, Steve Paget and Wolf Schneider  also
supported the plan.

Lin called the plan a "good thing" and said he believed  random
student drug testing would benefit the district  he was elected to
serve two years ago.

Paget noted that Hunterdon Central has a similar  "school demographic"
to Hillsborough's, and said that  district "definitely saw a positive
result when they  implemented the test."

"We need to put some obstacles in place," Schneider  said. "We have
some in place already, but we need more  because, obviously, kids have
found a way to get around  it. My attitude is, let's put another
obstacle in the  way to make it tougher."

Several parents and students voiced concerns before  Monday's vote.

Steven Feldman, 18, a senior at Hillsborough High  School, said he
feared some students would try drugs on  Friday evenings if the plan
was implemented because the  drugs could be "out of their system" by
Monday.

"I really think the board needs to look at that," he said.

"I really have to scratch my head over this  drug-testing policy,"
said parent Paul Kouroupas. "Is  this to prepare students for the real
world? I really  don't think so. People are not subject to random
student drug testing in the work world."

But Ed Hornich, a parent of two, said he'll take any  help he can get
from the board to keep his children  away from drug use.

"I hope you will pass this, and I look forward to it in  the future,"
he said about the policy.
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MAP posted-by: Derek