State to License Schools for Random Drug Testing

State to License Schools for
Random Drug Testing

The state will now regulate random drug testing of students, under regulations adopted last week by the New Jersey State Board of Education.

Under the new amendments, schools can send test samples to an approved lab, or they can operate on-site random drug testing if they receive a license from the State Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The licenses will allow several authorized school staff to conduct the tests.

The licenses will cost from $350 to $400 a year, and will only license an individual school, not an entire district. The licenses will cover quality assurance testing conducted by the DHHS to verify accurate school results.

Currently, about 20 school districts have random drug testing programs. Most of these districts rely on initial screening done by school nurses, and any positive results are sent to state-licensed labs.

Prior to last week’s State Board meeting, concerns were raised by NJSBA, several school districts and the U.S. Department of Education that the proposed regulations would make the option of random drug testing too costly for local districts to implement.

Assistant Education Commissioner Barbara Gantwerk said at the Nov. 7 State Board meeting that the program should not be cost-prohibitive, but that a “basic floor” needs to be established for proper training and accuracy. She said the regulations balance “students’ rights and safety, as well as districts’ rights.”

The regulations also require districts to follow the instructions from manufacturers of testing equipment. These instructions typically call for positive test results to be sent to an outside laboratory to confirm the results.

The State Board regulations on random drug tests were required under legislation enacted in August 2005.