Berkeley Heights Schools Drug, Alcohol Cases Drastically Increase

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ — Berkeley Heights School District saw a drastic incline in the number of substance-abuse cases for the 2017-18 school year versus the previous year.

New Jersey has released its annual list of substance-abuse cases reported by each school district, revealing the most recent data of reported cases.

Here is a look at how Berkeley Heights School District ranked compared to the 2016-17 school year:

There were 17 such cases reported in Berkeley Heights School District for the 2017-18 school year, according to numbers released by the state Department of Education recently. This was 15 more cases than what was reported in the 2016-17 school year, which saw two cases.

Both New Providence and Mountainside school districts did not report any substance-abuse cases for the 2017-18 school year.

Berkeley Heights ranked seventh highest in Union County and 76th overall in the state. Elizabeth ranked the highest in Union County.

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.

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

• 3. Elizabeth - 128 vs. 76
• 19. Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional - 44 vs. 12
• 24. Union Township 39 vs. 28
• 49. Linden - 23 vs. 18
• 52. Union County Ed Serv Comm - 22 vs. 9
• 74. Summit - 18 vs. 22
• 76. Berkeley Heights - 17 vs. 2
• 85. Hillside - 16 vs. 10
• 98. Roselle Borough - 15 vs. 2
• 129. Clark Township - 11 vs. 1
• 145. Plainfield - 9 vs. 4
• 177. Rahway - 7 vs. 2
• 180. Union County Vocational - 7 vs. 7
• 182. Westfield - 7 vs. 4
• 321. Kenilworth - 1 vs. 5
• 337. Springfield Township - 1 vs. 4

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

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