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Committee debates juvenile‑justice changes aimed at school drug incidents; panel declines to send bill forward
Summary
A draft juvenile‑justice amendment that would tighten school‑based responses to student drug possession and distribution, add a juvenile recidivism metric and limit nonjudicial adjustments for repeat possession drew extensive testimony; the committee did not advance the bill after split committee votes and concerns about data and scope.
Representative Peck presented a draft juvenile‑justice package aimed at tightening school responses to in‑school drug possession and distribution, aligning juvenile recidivism definitions with adult measures and restricting repeat nonjudicial adjustments. The committee discussed the draft at length and did not recommend it for passage.
Peck said the package grew from parent and school reports that students were avoiding school bathrooms because of heavy drug use and vaping. She told the committee that Tooele School District and other local districts had asked for clearer authority and more consistent consequences so staff and families could work in partnership to change behavior.
The draft includes several components: a definition of juvenile recidivism calculated over three years, new tracking of school‑based referrals, a prohibition on nonjudicial adjustment for students who distribute controlled or counterfeit substances at school, and a…
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