A growing number of New Jersey high schools are instituting random drug testing of students, using loss of eligibility for extracurricular activities and parking privileges as sanctions for positive test results, The Record reported on May 16.

River Dell and Lakeland Regional high schools are expected to be the latest districts to adopt drug testing programs for students who play on a team, join a club, or have a parking permit. Students will be tested for alcohol, marijuana, steroids, cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines, as well as other substances. At River Dell, that would cover between 85 and 90 percent of all students, said Superintendent Patrick Fletcher. 

About 20 school districts in New Jersey have mandatory alcohol and drug testing policies, according to New Jersey School Boards Association spokesman Mike Yaple. The number has increased since a 2002 New Jersey Supreme Court decision upheld a district's right to test students who play sports, join extracurricular activities, and or park on campus. 

School officials say that there is evidence that testing reduces drug abuse, but parents are split on the issue, with some expressing privacy concerns.