America's #1 Town Tackles Its Teen Drug Abuse Problem - Breaking News or a Continuing Saga?

For the calendar year of 2005, Money Magazine selected Moorestown, New Jersey as the "Top Town in America In Which to Live". A quiet town of under 20,000 residents, Moorestown had long been known within the state as one of those 'urban legends': a New Jersey town which was a really nice place to live, with an outstanding school system, good public service, a fairly wide range of affordable home choices, and an actual Main Street, around which the community thrived. It is a close-knit town; relying upon the values set forth by its Quaker founders, Moorestown has enjoyed the prestige of truly being one of the best towns in the entire state of New Jersey.

Its former and current residents include Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, the founder of the Commerce Bank franchise, Terrell Owens, tri-state real estate moguls Ira Lubin and Daniel Hughes, and even "Gorilla Monsoon", former pro wrestler. There has always been an easygoing coexistence between big names, bright stars and families who are third and fourth generation Moorestonians - those not easily impressed by financial or 'worldly' success, but who are impressed by individual character and the sense of giving back to the community itself.

The designation of 'Top Town' was met with a mixture of pleasure and reluctance - we very much like our township the way it is, thank you, and are somewhat less than thrilled to be in the national spotlight. Nevertheless, Moorestown celebration its distinction with a year-long series of - family and community events: a Halloween parade, Fourth of July parade and fireworks, a wonderful day of sledding for families on historic Stokes Hill, combined with an exhibition and presentation about the Flexible Flyer sled (whose inventor was also a Moorestown resident!) No fancy dinners or cocktail parties for us, folks. Moorestown is, and always has been, a 'dry' town.

We are a quiet, rather secluded town; we may serve liquor in our homes, but we also know that we must travel a wee bit to imbibe with dinner. That's the way it always was, and that's the way it always will be in Moorestown - and that's the way we like it.

In the week before Christmas, December, 2006, four female students at Moorestown High School were arrested by members of the local police department for possession of drugs and drug parapheneral. One of the young ladies was 18, considered legally an adult; the other three girls were two juniors and a sophomore. Being the kind of town that we are, the Moorestown police department did not release the name of the oldest of the girls in their public police report. Being a small town, it didn't matter that her name - or the names of the other girls - was or was not made public by the police. We, as parents, already knew who they were from our children. Former Moorestown High School (MHS) Interim Principal F. David Yates stated on the day of the arrests that "This is one of the worst, the very worse, days in our high school history."

The arrests came as the result of 'referrals': other students had seen the girls using drugs in a school bathroom, and reported the actions to the assistant principals in the main office. Wheels went into motion: the students were called down to the main office, their possessions and lockers checked. They were taken to the school nurse's office for verification that some were still 'under the influence'. Parents were called, students were taken to local Kennedy Hospital for verification of their condition.

It was by telephone that parents were informed with what had happened, and asked to meet their daughters and school officials at the hospital itself. Each faced violation of the school district policy of zero drug/alcohol tolerance, were suspended for five days from school, mandated to take part in drug counseling, and will be subject to random drug testing for the remainder of the school year.

In addition to the four girls charged, in private conversations with school counselors and administration, the girls were asked to 'give up' the names of other students whom they had seen/suspected of also being in possession of drugs. In all, over twenty-five students were 'referred, and submitted to locker and possessions searches. Of that number, the original four, caught with drugs in their belongings, were charged.

It's one thing to have your town's name splashed across national papers as the top place in America in which to live. It's quite another to have your town's name headlining local newspapers as the site of a pretty major drug raid. After all, Moorestown is one of the most affluent townships in the state, certainly in the tri-state area as well. Had I forgotten to mention that earlier? That our children enjoy a quite impressive percentage of disposable income? That during the year we were named America's Top Town, the average price of a home actually SOLD in Moorestown was in the range of $500,000?

As a fourteen year resident of Moorestown, I had heard stories that drug and alcohol use was indeed rampant in my town. Ten years ago, a recent MHS graduate was stabbed to death in town over a $10 bag of marijuana. 'Everyone' seemed to know the places where the 'druggies' hung out: parts of Strawbridge Lake, empty construction sites and unfinished housing developments, the 'pond' in the center of town, the skate park, certain areas of Wesley Bishop playing fields. Each class at MHS seemed it had its set of known 'users'; each class had its set of 'party houses', where parents either sanctioned or looked the other way when kids came in with drugs or, more likely, alcohol.

I have been told that the daughter of a former Board of Education member had been caught drinking at a homecoming pep rally, that the father of a boys' lacrosse standout player routinely took away his son's friends car keys and kept them on weekend evenings, knowing that the boys would be there drinking in his house and not wanting them to drive home afterwards. I have heard stories about New Jersey shore homes which were 'party central' for township kids during the summer, one of which was recently publicized on www.myspace.com.

There have been homes in town that were literally trashed by teen party-goers when the 'host's' parents were out of town. A friend of mine in the construction business had a $1,000,000 home site trashed by a bunch of high school senior boys. They had ripped out kitchen and bathroom cabinets and fixtures, poured paint on carpeting, took a sledgehammer to walls...The stories seemingly go on and on, varying only with the kids' ages, their year of graduation. Why, in a town as seemingly good as ours, formed on a unique Quaker foundation, does this happen?

Moorestown is, by law, a 'dry' town. No establishments within township limits serve alcohol. They never have, and most likely, they never will. The question arises that if perhaps ours was not a 'dry' town, would alcohol be less interesting to teens? From a parents' perspective, I sincerely doubt it. The legal age of alcohol consumption is pretty strictly enforced nationwide, although it varies by the legal age for drinking. Adults in this town are free to consume alcohol at home, to serve it at parties and functions. Our kids have been around alcohol pretty much their entire lives; it is not a novelty or a 'forbidden fruit' just because it isn't served at township restaurants: it's our way of life. As for the more troubling question: why is drug abuse such a serious problem with our kids?

Whether we want to admit it or not, drug abuse by underage users is a national epidemic. Why would dealers target Moorestown? We are located in southern New Jersey, in close proximity to Philadelphia and Camden, both significantly larger cities - twenty to ten minutes away from each. There's another reason why Moorestown is so enticing as a home town. We have one of the state's highest per capita incomes. Our children have a LOT more disposable income than those in just about every neighboring town. (Someone has to pay the mortgage on those $500,000 plus homes here.) Those high school kids who do have jobs work well under 20 hours per week. Much of the money they earn goes not to provide rent or grocery money, it's going towards their car insurance or payments, or even more disposable personal income...

Speculaton and stories aside, what was the actual reaction to the drug arrest incident itself? Moorestown's school district has not had a permanent Superintendent of schools since last summer; the high school saw its former permanent principal resign shortly thereafter. To date, we have employed the services of an excellent Interim Superintendet, Dr. Timothy Brennan, as well as the services of two interim high school principals. The search to permanently fill those two positions continues; it is the stated BOE goal to have permanent replacements in before summer, 2007.

While this lack of permanency in two very important administrative positions may appear to be a setback, such was not the case.

On Wednesday, January 10th, the school district hosted a community meeting to address the issues of drug and alcohol abuse. Hosted by Brennan and BOE President Donald Mishler, the meeting (which had been publicized through a series of press releases and district web site announcements) drew over four hundred people. The group was a combination of district teachers, parents and students from both the middle and high schools, and concerned residents. A relatively low percentage of students attended the meeting with their own parents; members of both groups tended to congregate within themselves. The township's mayor was in attendance; there were no representatives of the township police force present, however.

"It is a distinct fact that we have great issues here; we are not insulated from the effect of drug use in our schools. This is not just a high school issue; the use of drugs is also prevalent in the lower schools, to a lower extent. We are 100% committed to making our schools drug and alcohol free", stated Mishler. "To that end, we (the Board of Education) have been reviewing our policies regarding this issue, it's been a long and lengthy process. We feel that the current Policy itself is too cumbersome. Our Policy and Procedures committee has re-written our official stance, and the Board will have its first Reading of the new Policy at our January monthly meeting. This is an extraordinary meeting because of extraordinary incidents. People should and can feel free to contact myself and any member of the Board with their input, questions and concerns, and all of those dialogues will be kept strictly confidential."

"Years of work went into making Moorestown's school district a tradition of excellence", noted Brennan. This is not a knee-jerk reaction to a single incident. In the broader perspective, we will not solve this problem tonight. We will have to carefully limit our goal. In doing so, we need to balance what is in the best interests of an individual student versus what it in the best interests of the entire student body."

The three major changes to the school district's official Policy on drug and alcohol abuse are to clearly identify the zero-tolerance substances themselves, and to increase the type of penalties for those charged with violating the policy itself. Additionally, infractions may occur during off-premises school activities and occasions when school itself is not formally in session.

"The first proposed change is a broader inclusion in the definition of the term 'substance', noted District Director of Special Services Barbara Fash. "Under the expanded definition, substance abuse will include all alcoholic beverages, including imitations, anabolic steroids, all controlled dangerous substances (cocaine, marijuana, heroin, etc.), including the 'look alike' products, prescription and over-the-counter drugs (unless registered in writing with each school's nurse for a specified use and time by a named individual), including but not limited to diet pills, cough syrup and inhalants." Under this change, violations would occur whether an individual student was found to be in possession of a bottle of unregistered cough syrup or was in possession of a crack pipe and plastic bags of cocaine.

The second change addresses penalties for violation of the substance abuse policy. For a first offense of influence or possession, students would face a ten day suspension (up from the current Policy's five-day suspension), plus intervention by means of drug/alcohol counseling. In addition, a 45 day suspension would be imposed from all school-related activities: clubs, sports, field trips, etc.) Random daytime drug testing would also be in effect for a 60 day period. For those students found guilty of intent to distribute, as well as second-time offenders of possession or being under the influence, a Board of Education hearing would be held. Brennan stated that he would personally "recommend expulsion" to students charged with intent to distribute, even for first-time offenders.

The last change would expand the physical location where violations may take place to include off-premises school activities. (Currently, the zero tolerance policy covers only field trips.) Under the proposed new policy, violations may take place while on field trips, athletic activities including games and practices, performances, the senior class trip, the prom, and activities taking place at school bus stops as well as on the school buses. Violations may occur as well on days when school is not in session and during recess periods.

The district recently formed a partnership with a free program run by Rutgers University's Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Project. "We are hoping to answer questions in the community as to the 'why' part of what has been reported in the media and what has taken place in your schools. We are here for as long as you need us", said project manager Fred Bilofsky. The partnership will work with the school district to obtain hard data on what types and with what frequency zero tolerance violations have been occuring. No set time frame was given as to when the research would be completed, but audience members were assured that the district and Rutgers will 'share with the community' the results of their findings. The Rutgers team will also help point the district in the direction of local and state programs and grants that are available to further resolve the issues.

Following the presentations by members of administration there was an open question and answer period. Several students questioned why being under the influence or in possession of alcohol would be treated the same as if under the influence or possession of heroin. A female high school student stated that 'We see drug deals going on in class and in the hallways every day", and wanted to know why administrators were unable to immediately dismiss those students. Brennan's response was that hard, concrete evidence was needed rather than vague, anonymous tips. "We interview every student in the schools who is 'referred' to us. (Student 'referrals' may come in the form of requests from students, teachers, security guards, etc., anonymously or not.) We have a district hot line that you can also use to give us information, and that will be guaranteed confidential as well." A parent suggested that rather than looking towards the school district to solve the problem, accountability lies within the home.

"It is the school's job to teach our children academia; teaching our children right from wrong begins at home." In the course of the discussion, the high school's interim principal noted that the school's bathrooms are a primary area of concern, and that a lot of the drug activity has taken place there in the past. The school also has a pressing need for on-site security cameras (which they currently do not have). An audience member noted that it was his understanding that grants from local police departments should be available for the purchase of these cameras. The presence on on site security at the high school level was also discussed. Presently, Moorestown High School has two security guards who patrol the building during school hours, as well as the full-time services of one of the township's patrolmen as his sole area of responsibility.

The township officer actually arrived about two hours' into the meeting. "I grew up in this town and graduated from high school here", he noted. "When I grew up here, it was the responsibility of the parents to educate children about substance abuse, to teach right behaviour from wrong. It takes a neighborhood to raise a child, and it's my belief that a lack of values begins at home. Our kids have a significant amount of disposable income, and local drug dealers really do target them for just that reason."

"We can do very little with anonymous, vague tips on our police hot line", the officer continued. "We don't have caller I.D. on that phone line for that very reason; a person calling in with a tip doesn't have to give their name if they don't want to. Give us specific information about where a party is taking place, if there are a large group of kids at a certain house and the parents don't appear to be home. You don't have to give your name." Following the meeting, which lasted nearly four hours, audience members (who by then had thinned to less than 50% of original numbers) were invited to take part in focus group discussions. "Teaching Stress Reduction", "Crafting a New Policy on Drugs and Alcohol", "The Arts as an Alternative to Substance Abuse" and "The Code of Conduct for Participants in Sports" were among the offerings. School administrators pledged to take back with them audience comments from both the meeting and the focus groups in refining the proposed new substance abuse policy.

On Tuesday, January 16, 2007, the Board of Education, at its regular meeting, approved the revisions and changes to its Drug and Alcohol Policy on the first reading. (The Policy must go through three seprate public hearings before it can be formally adopted.) There was a slight increase in the number of people attending this particular meeting. About a dozen MHS students were there, their presence mandated by the elective course "You and the Law" in which they were enrolled. As BOE president Mishler noted in welcoming them to the meeting, "There are so many of you tonight, it must be close to the end of the marking period." During the public comment portion of the meeting, only one individual came forward with a question.

A MHS junior student who identified himself as his class' Vice President, he stated that he was there "to find out what the new changes are all about, and what new penalties are there going to be." Barbara Fash again gave a shortened presentation on the new changes to the policy for the benefit of the young man and for any others who had not been present at the prior week's meeting. After approving the first reading, with no further questions from audience members, the Board discussed among itself the changes and the feedback that they had received since the community meeting. Comments included feedback from parents who felt that the district, by implementing a stricter, more far-reaching policy, were infringing on parental and student rights.

The point was raised of differentiating between a student who unknowingly came to school with an aspirin in their belongings versus one who was on school premises with bags of marijuana. The interim superintendent suggested changing the time of the district's annual Thanksgiving homecoming football game from an evening game to one held in the morning before the holiday. His hope was to eliminate drinking at the game by of-legal-age MHS alumni with current students present. (Such a change would also limit drinking by adults on township property, i.e., school playing fields, sidelines and in the stands.)

At the meeting's conclusion, the Board agreed to defer work on revising the current Code of Conduct (which would have its greatest effect on student athletes) until a final Drug and Alcohol Abuse Policy was firmly in place. Additional tweaking and tuning on the current Policy will continue by the Board's Policy Committee, which will again go back to the drawing board, taking with it the comments and suggestions raised by fellow Board members.

The actual adoption of a new Zero Tolerance Substance Abuse Policy may be in place in as little time as three months; chances are that it may take at least twice as long before a final version is approved. Nevertheless, the Moorestown school district appears to be moving in the right direction, taking a courageous stand on a very tough issue. It is one thing to say that "We have a problem here in town with our kids." It is yet quite another to stand up and say "Yes, we do have a problem here in town with our kids, and we are willing to take a stand and do whatever it takes to fix this problem."