POLL: Would You Support Random Drug Tests in HS?

The issue of random drug testing for high school students has been raised a number of times through the past few years at meetings of the , but has never gotten very far.

It came up again at the March 12 meeting, when Board Member Michael Byrne said he still feels there is a need for such testing. Board Member William Koch agreed.

However, the conversation quickly died due to a lack of discussion among other school board members.

Koch again raise the subject on Monday, when he asked that the minutes from the March 12 meeting take note that two board members have said they would support random drug testing in the high school. He added that the school district's administration has supported the proposal, first suggested and studied a few years ago.

At that time, a majority of board members voted against random drug testing of all students who either seek a parking permit or sign up for extra-curricular activities.

A modified program, in which parents could "opt out" from having their students included in the pool of students who might be chosen at random for testing was proposed in 2010 and 2011. It also died then from a lack of majority vote, with some objections being that the test could not cover alcohol, the most abused substance among high school students, and the concerns about privacy and how positive tests would be handled.

Other area high schools, including Hunterdon Central Regional High School and Hillsborough, have programs in place. Would you support such a program at or at Bernards High? Why or why not?