Breathalyzer Tests Now the Law at N.J. High School

Jay Dow
WCBSTV
January 4, 2008

When it comes to keeping our teenagers safe and sober, one New Jersey school district is taking the lead by employing the use of a Breathalyzer test.

And as CBS 2 HD found out, it’s become such a successful deterrent, students are passing with flying colors.

Keeping high school students sober can be, in some situations, a full time job.

“I personally got Breathalyzed,” said student Jessica Forrest.

At Pequannock High School.

Getting checked for alcohol is now the rule at dances and other social events.

“I’m all for it because if your child isn’t doing anything wrong, then you have nothing to hide,” parent Barbara Fede said.

Pequannock School District superintendent Dr. Larrie Reynolds said some students’ recent behavior left the district no choice.

“It actually came to a head when last year at the graduation senior trip, that we had students who actually couldn’t graduate as a result of their drinking,” school board member Dr. Larrie Reynolds said.

Pequannock also has an active Breathalyzer test, similar to what would be used during a police traffic stop. It’s a little more intrusive, but administrators believe it sends a clear message about their zero-tolerance policy on alcohol abuse.

So far it has worked, and now other districts are following Pequannock’s lead.

In fact, Southington High School in Connecticut expanded the program for daily use when a student is suspected of drinking.

“In the world of high school students, any alcohol rating is a reading that is inappropriate,” Superintendent Joseph Mirardi said.

Pequannock school officials say because their limited Breathalyzer use has been so effective, they aren’t willing to take the program that far just yet.

“We’ll leave that for somebody else to decide,” Reynolds said. “We’re really not going into that area.”

However frequently it’s used.

“I don’t think people will like, drink anymore,” Pequannock student Erika Vecchiet said.

It seems the Breathalyzer has at least cleared the air about who is — and who is not — welcome at school.

Pequannock school officials say they avoided running into any privacy issues by making students sign a contract which states they must submit to a Breathalyzer if they want to attend a school social event.

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  1. Paul on January 4th, 2008

    Another step closer to complete control of society….
    Get them while they’re young aye.

    Paul from England.

  2. Drew on January 4th, 2008

    what is important here is not what they are doing so much, its that it sets a dangerous pretense for children under age 18 being able to sign contracts that they are legally bound to uphold and that is a very dangerous thing for liberty our civil rights as a whole and general freedom!

    Who knows what kind of other garbage may be tacked on later on. What happens when a district creates a policy where you must be vaccinated on your way from math class to gym class, or you must take a certain pill to participate in psychology? It’s not a far stretch once you open the door with no resistance!

  3. Oneal on January 4th, 2008

    It’s all about getting the youth used to intrusive measures so later on in their lives they will more readily accept chipping.

  4. Kegan Bryeans on January 4th, 2008

    There are bigger problems than alcohol for high school students. That is just what kids do at this age they experiment with different things. We all have tried it whether it was one time or more than one and parents and grandparents can’t deny it. Even our highest respected leaders have done the same thing, so why is it such a big deal now. I think the government is trying to shield our youths eyes by saying “Oh its for your own safety” but exactly they just want control over us. We can go and join the military and kill people at the age of 18 but we can’t drink alcohol. What kind of society do we live in when kids can risk their lives for our country, if thats what you wanna call it, but can go out and have a few beers and relax. I think that is major bs, especially when we got students making a living by selling drugs to follow students and teachers while at school. What a great government we have. We’ll punish students for drinking but we’ll let the president of the united states snort some coke and no one says anything way to go american politicians.

  5. rlmorrisonjr on January 4th, 2008

    Well first of all I think this is bad not just for the obvious intrusiveness but for the shear fact that some cold medications have alcohol in them so they could get falsely accused of being under the influence so to speak. Second the contract they signed shouldn’t hold up and should be fought by parents. Children under the age of 18 are not legally accountable for so called legal contracts weather signed or not. I think in this case the parents should stand up and speak out. Having a seven year old daughter I certainly would. No one wants their children to use drugs and/or alcohol but these intrusive measures should not be tolerated.

  6. Sarah on January 5th, 2008

    Cold medications and mouthwashes do have alcohol in them and if you’ve just used one before the breathalyzer, the reading comes back very high, as demonstrated in our HS health class. HOWEVER, they then wait a few minutes and retake the test. Wherein the result come back below the legal level for minors. (Under the age of 21, we are allowed to have up to a .02 for things like communion.)

    The majority of those students will have driver’s licenses, the possession of a driver’s license, at least in this state, allows the law to request breathalyzer tests and holds you responsible if you refuse when pulled over. A lot of people would debate whether a child under eighteen is able to be held responsible for a contract. We’re not talking twelve year-olds. We’re talking fourteen to seventeen year-olds. They read the contract, they understood it, and they signed it. While legally that may be under debate, it’s a position that should change. That’s as bad as the people who say that teenagers can’t be tried as adults for murder. At fourteen, doesn’t the average citizen understand the consequences which await them for killing another? They also understand the contracts. Let them sign if they will.

  7. dave on January 5th, 2008

    “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear”

    anyone who argues that way is a coward without any concept of what
    “freedom” or “privacy” actually mean.

  8. Romantic Violence on January 5th, 2008

    Children signing ‘legal documents’ sets a legal precedent also; criminal and civil courts could universally lower prosecution ages from 18 to say 14. It’s not impossible-minors have been ‘tried’ as adults depending upon the ‘viciousness’ of their crime-however, prosecutors had to certify and petition the court for that change. Oh, by the way, in NJ, pre-school and daycare aged children MUST be vaccinated in order to attend school.

  9. Bubba on January 6th, 2008

    I was stopped by the police once for being suspected of drunk driving when in fact I had sneezed and I temporarily crossed over the center line. It was obvious I was not drunk or had been speeding, but the policeman asked me if I objected to having my jeep searched. I said I did object. Then he used that lame excuse that if I have nothing to hide why don’t I let him search my jeep. I responded saying, well, if you want to search my jeep you surely won’t mind if I set up a camera in your house to see what you are doing. Because surely you wouldn’t have anything to hide. He wasn’t happy with me, but he didn’t search my jeep.

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  11. matt on May 28th, 2008

    who ever says that is is bad for NJ kids to be vaccinated before going to school is a fucking idiot. All kids should be vaccinated before going to school, i go to school in NJ and even though were are vaccinated there are still colds and viruses running wild. ROMANTIC VIOLENCE is offically an idiot.

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