How Many Drug, Alcohol Cases Were Reported In Gloucester Schools

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — New Jersey has released its annual list of substance-abuse cases reported by each school district, including both Gloucester Township school districts, for the 2018-19 school year.

The Gloucester Township K-8 Public School District recorded 0.16 cases per 1,000 students, ranking 358th out of 358 school districts across the state. It ranked 300th when it came to increases, with an actual decreases of 2.07 cases from the year before.

The Black Horse Pike Regional School District — which includes Highland, Timber Creek and Triton regional high schools — ranked 20th in the state for number of cases, with 20.67 per 1,000 students. That was an increase of 6.03 from the year before, ranking it 38th in the state.

The data, obviously, was compiled before Gov. Phil Murphy shut down school buildings because of the coronavirus crisis, and it's not known what impact the outbreak has had on the substance abuse crisis in schools.

Murphy announced on Wednesday that in-person instruction can return in September, but districts can opt to go fully remote. Read more: NJ Coronavirus, School Reopen Updates: What You Need To Know

The state Department of Education has cautioned that these numbers are reported by each district, so each jurisdiction is responsible for reporting its results fairly and accurately. But they are required by law to report them.

To see the full lists, click here.

With reporting by Tom Davis, Patch Staff