NJ Schools Consider Drug Testing More Students

Could drug testing of students soon become the norm in New Jersey? More and more school administrators in New Jersey and elsewhere in the country are considering clamping down on student rights and imposing drug testing policies.

School officials certainly have a difficult task in trying to protect students against danger and ensure that the school environment is conducive to learning. One of the hurdles faced by school officials is drug use and alcohol use by underage students.

In the past, programs like Drug Abuse Resistance Education (better known as “D.A.R.E.”) have received a great deal of media attention. However, DARE has also largely proven to be ineffective at combating drug abuse by young people.

Could Random Student Drug Testing Be the Answer?

Drug testing is currently used in many workplaces to ensure that job applicants, or people already employed by a company, are not using illegal drugs. Although drug testing of adults is a hotly debated practice, random drug testing of younger students is an even more divisive issue.

When a school requires a student to submit to a Random Student Drug Testing (RSDT) program, the student usually comes from a particular group, like members of a school sports team or participants in school-funded non-athletic extracurricular activities.

Although drug testing of students does potentially allow for early intervention to stop a drug problem before it destroys a young person’s life, some schools are also using random student drug testing in a more punitive fashion. In some cases, students caught using drugs are suspended, expelled or dismissed from school entirely.

For additional information about the current debate over drug testing of students, read the CASAColumbia.org article, “Should Students Be Drug Tested at School?”

If your child is facing an unreasonably harsh punishment from their school, you need to talk to a seasoned education attorney who understands the nuances of federal and state laws. Howard Mendelson of Davis & Mendelson is a knowledgeable New Jersey education attorney with experience on both sides of the table in disciplinary hearings. Contact him today to schedule a free consultation about your case.