LEGISLATION AUTHORIZING RANDOM DRUG TESTS BY SCHOOL OFFICIALS NOW LAW

TRENTON -- Procedures for randomly testing high school students for drugs
will now be uniform across New Jersey, under a state law signed Monday by
acting Gov. Codey.

The new law -- which is effective immediately but which relies on rules
that still must be drawn up -- affects students who participate in
athletics or other extracurricular activities or hold permits to park on
school grounds.

"It will establish statewide guidelines for random tests," said its
sponsor, Sen. Nicholas Sacco, D-Hudson, who is assistant superintendent of
schools in North Bergen.

About a dozen New Jersey school districts already utilize random drug
testing, said Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards
Association. Other districts test students on suspicion.

Under the new law, boards of education have the option of randomly testing
certain students for drugs, including anabolic steroids. The policy would
be distributed to students and guardians at the start of each school year.