Parsippany Student Suspended For Having E-Cigarette; Mother Appeals

A16-year-old girl was suspended for four days from Parsippany schools because she had an electronic cigarette - and her mother, Kathleen Leone, is upset.

The district’s written substance abuse policy doesn’t define what constitutes “drug paraphernalia.” Because of that, Leone said, she has hired an attorney to appeal the suspension to the school board, according to NJ Advance Media.

Leone told NJ Advance Media her daughter was sent to the nurse’s office two months ago after the e-cigarette was found in her pocketbook. Her daughter receive an automatic drug screening because e-cigarettes are considered drug paraphernalia, according to NJ Advance Media.

Leone said she refused to have her daughter drug tested because the current written policy seems to imply that possession of e-cigarettes is a smoking infraction, according to NJ Advance Media.

“Students are advised that a warrant less search may be made if the Principal has reasonable suspicion that a student is in possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia,” the policy reads. “Any drugs or drug paraphernalia observed will be seized. Any information concerning drugs or drug paraphernalia will be reported to the Superintendent and to the Police.”

High school students’ usage of electronic cigarettes has tripled over three years, according to a government report released earlier this month.

Last year, 4.5 percent of high school students said they had used e-cigarettes in the previous month, up from 1.5 percent in 2011 and 2.8 percent in 2012, according to The Associated Press.