Report: Drug Use Up Slightly at Cherry Hill Schools

The number of drug and alcohol violations inched up at Cherry Hill schools last year compared to the year before, with 26 incidents reported in all of the 2011-12 school year, according to the annual violence, vandalism and substance abuse report presented by the district’s security director, Mike Nuzzo, at this week’s school board meeting.

While the number of incidents in 2011-12 was higher than any of the three previous years—there were 19 incidents each in 2008-09 and 2009-10, and 23 incidents in 2010-11—it was still well below the high over the past five years of 41, from 2007-08.

A slight increase in students caught under the influence of marijuana at school drove the increase—15 were caught over the course of the school year, compared with just 11 in 2010-11.

The district also reported one student under the influence of alcohol at school and one listed as being under the influence of unspecified other drugs.

In all 17 cases, Nuzzo said the students were tested after being suspected of being under the influence.

The majority of those incidents happened at Cherry Hill West, where there were 14 total incidents of drug use reported. East had six incidents, the alternative program at Malberg had five and one incident was reported at the middle school level, at Carusi.

There were also a handful of drug possession incidents, down just slightly from the previous year. Marijuana possession topped that list, as well, with five incidents reported, but there were also two incidents of alcohol possession and two incidents of other drug possession, which Nuzzo said he believed were both prescription drugs.

Unlike 2010-2011, there were no incidents of drug distribution at any schools in the district, Nuzzo said. There had been just four incidents of distribution over the previous four years, split between marijuana and other drugs.

Alcohol use in particular has plummeted over the past five years, and Nuzzo credited the use of passive alcohol sensing equipment as a deterrent.

“Since that has been implemented, I don’t believe we’ve had one incident of alcohol at a school-sponsored event,” he said.