Drug Free School Zone in New Jersey
| Published date | 01 October 1988 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X8806100414 |
| Date | 01 October 1988 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
DRUG FREE SCHOOL ZONE
IN NEW JERSEY
New
Jersey's law enforcement and education communities today joined
hands in the war against drugs when Attorney General Cary Edwards
and
Education CommissionerSaul Coopermanreleased landmark documents
designed to create drug-free environments in all of the
state's
schools.
An Attorney General'sExecutiveDirective, Departmentof Education
Guidelines and a "Model Agreement" provide guidance and direction for
prosecutorsand schooladministrators, police and teachers, in their efforts
to enforce the state's tough new drug law, the Comprehensive Drug
Reform Act
of
1987, while at the same time preserving educational goals.
Children are entitled to an environment which is conducive to
education, one which is free
of
drugs and where drug trafficking will not
be tolerated.
The
state must confront the devastating problem of drugs
being used and distributed in and around schools. To accomplish this
educationalistsmust work cooperativelywith law enforcement authorities
to rid schools
of
drugs and drugs dealers.
The documentsexplainstate policies regardingdrug-related arrests,
searches and seizures and other law enforcement activities, including
cradle-to-grave instructions for undercover operations in schools.
The
documents set out in detail when and how teachers and other
school officials mustrefersuspected drug crimes to law enforcement and
it discusses their ability to protect the confidentiality of those students
honestly seeking help for a drug problem.
The directive, guidelines and model agreement also encourage the
schools and law enforcement to work together to develop specific
procedures for implementing state policies.
The documentshave been developed to cementthe already growing
relationship between the schools and the police, both of which are
committed to the goal of providing adrug-free environment for the
children.
Protecting the schools and schoolyards is the greatest possible
contribution which law enforcement can make to the long-term effort to
deal with the drug problem. Making schools drug free is one criticalstep
forward in the long-term goal
of
creating ageneration that is free of drugs.
Schools mustbe madefree of drugs, but never at the price
of
threatening
the very essence
of
the children's education.
The Department of Education Guidelines have been developed to
ensure that educational goals are protected while at the same time
enhancing the effort to fight drugs on school grounds.
The guidelineswillbe drafted asadministrative code for presentation
October1988 383
To continue reading
Request your trial