Teen Vaping Drove Up Hillsborough Drug, Alcohol Cases: HTPS

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough Township School officials are pointing to teen vaping for the cause of the district's high ranking on a recent New Jersey Department of Education's annual list of substance-abuse cases.

Hillsborough Township school district recently ranked the highest in Somerset County and among the highest in New Jersey for the 2017-18 school year. (See Related: Hillsborough Schools Drug, Alcohol Cases Rank Highest In County)

There were 53 such cases reported in Hillsborough Schools for the 2017-18 school year, according to numbers released by the state Department of Education recently. This is more than triple the number reported in the 2016-17 school year, which saw 17 cases.

Kia Bergman, HTPS spokeswoman, said this increase in cases can be linked to teen vaping. Of the 53 cases, 35 were vaping related.

Recently the district recognized teen vaping "was fast becoming a serious issue not only in Hillsborough but around the country." As a result the Hillsborough Board of Education implemented "one of the most stringent anti-vaping/e-cigarette policies in the state" that went into effect on Jan. 2, 2018. Part of that district-wide policy includes the identification of all vaping devices and materials as drug paraphernalia.

"A ranking of substance abuse cases reported by school districts was recently published and does not truly compare apples to apples. The New Jersey Department of Education, when releasing the information, cautioned that these numbers are what is reported to them by each district. Many districts do not identify vaping devices as drug paraphernalia and do not report it to the State in the same manner as Hillsborough," Kia Bergman, HTPS spokeswoman said.

Bergman added that if vaping devices were removed from the reports, Hillsborough would rank between North Plainfield and Bernards Township on the list.

Whereas last year (2016-17) Hillsborough was the fourth highest in Somerset County and number 52 in the state.

"Although this information would lower Hillsborough’s ranking, any report of substance and alcohol abuse by a student in our schools is of concern," Bergman said. "It is the district’s hope that the preemptive and stringent e-cigarette policy we have in place, along with continued substance abuse prevention education for students and parents, will continue to help in reducing the number of incidences in our schools and community."

Here is how all Somerset County school districts compared. (The schools are listed by state ranking, number of cases reported in 2017-18 vs. 2016-17):

• 11. Hillsborough - 53 vs. 17
• 29. Franklin - 31 vs. 31
• 44. Bridgewater-Raritan Regional - 25 vs. 25
• 62. Bernards Township - 62 vs. 4
• 71. North Plainfield 18 vs. 10
• 79. Somerset Hills Regional - 17 vs. 14
• 80. Somerville - 17 vs. 17
• 82. Watchung Hills Regional - 17 vs. 22
• 179. Somerset County Ed Serv Comm - 7 vs. 2
• 223. Bound Brook - 4 vs. 7
• 235. Manville - 4 vs. 6
• 244. Somerset County Vocational - 4 vs. 3
• 247. Warren Township - 4 vs. 0
• 271. Watchung Borough - 3 vs. 0
• 283. Green Brook Borough - 2 vs. 0
• 289. Montgomery Township - 2 vs. 0
• 336. South Bound Brook 1 vs. 0

To view the statewide list, including the districts with the highest increases and biggest reductions, click here.

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