Drug test for middle school pupils approved Thursday, June 22, 2006 • BY LYNN OLANOFF • The Express-Times HACKETTSTOWN | Beginning this fall, the middle school will become one of about 30 nationwide to conduct drug tests. The school board voted 8-1 Wednesday to allow a voluntary drug-testing program for seventh- and eighth-grade students. Enrollment will start at the beginning of the school year. "The next step for us will be to try to involve as many students as we can," middle school Principal Michael Meyer said. "Our goal is to continue to be preventative in keeping as many kids away from drugs as possible." Board member Michael Sedita was the lone vote against the middle school drug testing. He said the program is unnecessary because school officials have said the middle school has no drug problem. "It's one thing to be proactive, but this seems to be a solution in search of a problem," Sedita said. "I see this middle school program as a research project -- we have all this money from the federal government and now we have to spend it." For this school year and the next two, Hackettstown will receive $90,000 in annual federal funding to pay for drug testing and research. That money will pay for the middle school testing, as well as testing high school students for alcohol and steroids and expanding the high school's random drug-testing pool. Hackettstown High School has been conducting drug tests for two years. While drugs may not be a major problem at Hackettstown Middle School, national statistics show experimenting with drugs often starts during middle school, Meyer said. "Middle school is such a difficult time with peer pressure," he said. "The more students we can protect, the better." A majority of both middle school parents and students support the testing, according to Meyer. Out of 162 students who voted on the program -- about 41 percent of the school population -- 69 percent supported it. Reporter Lynn Olanoff can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by e-mail at lolanoff@express-times.com. © 2006 The Express-Times. Used with permission.