Juvenile justice bill seeks tougher options for school drug incidents; committee adopts amendments then holds bill for interim study

Representative Jody Peck presented House Bill 359, a juvenile-justice measure that would revise school reporting, searches and the consequences for controlled-substance possession and distribution on school grounds. Peck said the bill is intended to create clearer rules for administrators, protect teachers who report suspected substance activity and increase deterrence for students who distribute drugs.

Under the proposal as discussed in committee, schools would be required to notify parents when drugs are found on campus; teachers who report suspicions would receive identity protection; the State Board of Education would be asked to adopt uniform rules for searches; and penalties for distribution would be increased so some distribution cases proceed through the formal juvenile judicial track rather than nonjudicial diversion. An amendment discussed during the hearing limits investigations to controlled substances…