New Jersey high school to test for drinking

[Mustang]

PEQUANNOCK, N.J. - Teens who drink alcohol could be caught three days later under a high school's new testing policy for students.

The test, which will be given randomly to students at Pequannock Township High School, can detect whether alcohol was consumed up to 80 hours earlier.

Pequannock Superintendent Larrie Reynolds said the policy approved last week should be a deterrent to students who feel peer pressure to drink.

Under the program, students who test positive will not be kicked off teams or barred from extracurricular activities, Reynolds said. Instead, they will receive counseling — and their parents will be notified.

"Most kids who think they can get away with it might be tempted to stop and think about it," he said.

The test costs will be paid with federal grants, Reynolds said.

Urine screenings look for ethyl glucuronide, produced by the body after it metabolizes alcohol. School officials acknowledge the test is sensitive, and false positive readings can be the result of using products containing ethanol, including mouthwash and Balsamic vinegar.

But Reynolds said in order for students to test positive, they would generally have had to consume the equivalent of one or two drinks.

Other districts already use the test. Middletown began using it last spring for students suspected of using drugs and alcohol. This month, the district expanded it to include a random pool of about 1,800 students.

Critics have said the testing does not work and invades students' privacy.

"Medical care and treatment are issues between parents and children," said Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.





I just don't see how this is going to end up in anything but a lawsuit.

[Huckleberry]

Sweet. Weekly Monday morning first period piss tests.

[wade moore]

Yeah, I see no way this isn't challenged (and likely overturned) in court. The local school district here had a hard enough time getting a voluntary drug testing policy for HS athlets in place.

[Telle]

I would think that they'd have to allow the parents to choose to have their child "opt out" of this program.

[sabotai]

Pequannock Superintendent Larrie Reynolds said the policy approved last week should be a deterrent to students who feel peer pressure to drink.

That's right, do it under the guise of protection, just like everything else...

[rkmsuf]

Whizzinator headquarters is all abuzz over this.

[Huckleberry]

Yes, bringing teenagers into the fold of the battle against piss tests is a really bad idea for the testing industry. There will probably be instructions for hacking the test database posted online within 24 hours of the first round of tests. :D

[wade moore]

That's right, do it under the guise of protection, just like everything else...

FWIW, I am one that would love to be able to actually do something like this, but it's just not legal.

I don't think you can throw out the idea that this is meant to protect the teenagers, at least from some of the proponents.

[rkmsuf]

FWIW, I am one that would love to be able to actually do something like this, but it's just not legal.

I don't think you can throw out the idea that this is mean to protect the teenagers, at least from some of the proponents.

maybe not mean but a little protection goes a long way IMO. there's something to be said for letting people and teenagers think and make choices for themselves.

[miami_fan]

Are there any investigations as to where they got the alcohol? And what happens if they test positive every week?

[rkmsuf]

And what happens if they test positive every week?

"You're mine Bender. For two months I got you."

[RendeR]

this also doesn't cover minor intake from sources ofther than just drinking. Oops I had some nyquil for my cold...guess I'm an alki now....

I could see this being available and giving the parents the option of enrolling their student, then its a matter for the family to decide if its good for them or not.

[wade moore]

maybe not mean but a little protection goes a long way IMO. there's something to be said for letting people and teenagers think and make choices for themselves.

Then why do we have laws against it in the first place?

[panerd]

This rubs me the same way as drug testing does. I don't care about defending the kids that do drugs or drink, but about the kids that don't. Why do the schools have to do the job of the parent? Why are we letting the government be the parents? If I were the parent of a great kid that doesn't drink I would tell the school they can fuck off if they wanted my kid to take a piss test. It is like my old principal that used to hold us all in the caefteria because a couple of kids wouldn't follow rules. Why do a large percentage of the kids have to put up with shit to try and teach a lesson to the small percentage?

END RANT

[rkmsuf]

Then why do we have laws against it in the first place?

there are many laws that teens aren't tested for on a weekly basis. how about a weekly lie detector test?

I just think it's a very bad direction when you substitute institutional "control" on some things that in terms of responsibilty needs to be placed on individuals...even young ones.

[Lathum]

Maybe our schools should focus on actual education!!

[Klinglerware]

Maybe our schools should focus on actual education!!

Well, since Pequannock is a wealthy school district that runs circles around its NCLB targets, they can now officially rest on their laurels on the "providing actual education" front. :D

I am also amused that balsamic vinaigrette can cause a positive on an EtG test. Perhaps the school district will now have to remove healthy eating choices from its lunch menus?

[rkmsuf]

Maybe they can re-route the plumbing to automate testing and make it week long.

Of course you would need piss police to make sure no unauthorized urination was taking place on or near school grounds.

[panerd]

Maybe our schools should focus on actual education!!

As a teacher I feel the need to respond. Jackass policies like this usually come from the board of education and/or the central administration. This is not to say that all teachers are doing a good job, but at least blame us for not educating your children and not for stupid shit like this.

[Lathum]

As a teacher I feel the need to respond. Jackass policies like this usually come from the board of education and/or the central administration. This is not to say that all teachers are doing a good job, but at least blame us for not educating your children and not for stupid shit like this.

no blame on the teachers. I admire teachers as a whole for their dedication. However I can't imagine this program costs the school nothing. Rich or poor don't you think that money should go towards something more educational?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Rich or poor don't you think that money should go towards something more educational?

I'd much rather see this program paid for than half the b.s. that goes on in schools today.

[wade moore]

there are many laws that teens aren't tested for on a weekly basis. how about a weekly lie detector test?

I just think it's a very bad direction when you substitute institutional "control" on some things that in terms of responsibilty needs to be placed on individuals...even young ones.

Lieing is illegal? Huh, I never knew.


Outside of that - I always find it funny when people get mad about authorities choosing to enforce the law. Work to have laws changed if you want, but to me whining about it being enforced is just silly.

[Klinglerware]

A couple of other random thoughts:

It is kind of amusing that this program is being paid for with Federal grant money, when another Federal entity has issued an advisory cautioning against the stand-alone use of EtG tests--since the test in its present form cannot distinguish between a positive generated by alcohol consumption and positives generated by a myriad of other products.

http://www.samhsa.gov/SAMHSA_News/VolumeXIV_6/article5.htm

From a "Star-Ledger" article http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-11/117004912652840.xml&coll=1

- At $20 a pop, what is the point of doing this, if the results are not considered definitive? (The school board knows this, and I suspect that is the reason why the students will not be punished if they test positive.)

And another one:

Pequannock officials said they're aware the test can be sensitive and would adjust it to avoid positive results for innocuous items.

They can stand to make a lot of money, if they can accomplish something that the manufacturers of the test could not. :)

[CraigSca]

FWIW - I only caught the tail end of the TV piece about this, but it looked like the test was via a breathalyzer, not via urine sample.

[panerd]

no blame on the teachers. I admire teachers as a whole for their dedication. However I can't imagine this program costs the school nothing. Rich or poor don't you think that money should go towards something more educational?

No doubt. Right after Jonesboro/Columbine/Etc. we had a rumor spread around our school that a kid might be taking revenge on a group of kids that picked on him all of the time. The parents of the supposed "targets" were up in arms and pulled their kids from the school and wanted this problem taken care of. My very unpopular opinion was that if their kids would have left the kid alone in the first place maybe shit like this would never happen. Anyways we now have anti bullying education. Can't a parent teach their kid not to pick on other kids? Couldn't the money go to the basics? I think most teachers support money going where it should, but if I am standing next to the Superentendent and you ask me about the anti-bullying program I might give you a slightly different answer. :)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Can't a parent teach their kid not to pick on other kids?

Obviously not.

Erm, actually, can they? Sure.
Do they? That's the one that gets the "obviously not".

The victims are too often caught in a Catch-22, as the retaliation that's usually required to stop bullies in their tracks often subjects the original victim to punishment that's harsher than what the bully got in the unlikely event any action was even taken.

I'm not a believer in the effectiveness of "anti-bullying education" quite frankly unless there's teeth behind the rules against it and there's adequate backbone at the adminstrative level to enforce those rules.

(Hmm, can you tell that I'm actually dealing with this particular subject today IRL?)

[INDalltheway]

Monday morning attendance is going to drop substantially....

[Logan]

You could've given me all the counseling you wanted while I was in high school...I still would've drank (responsibly) whenever I felt like it.