Parents and trustees press Hunterdon Central on search rules after vape‑sensor incidents

A lengthy Jan. 12 discussion at the Hunterdon Central committee meeting focused on the district’s student‑search procedures triggered by vape/‘halo’ sensors in bathrooms and other spaces. Principal Ed Brandt described a process the district says was reviewed with multiple attorneys, NJPSA Legal 1, and the board’s counsel: when a sensor alerts, administration identifies who was present, brings those students to the office, asks whether vaping occurred, requests students show the contents of pockets and backpacks, conducts a vitals check in the nurse’s office, logs the event and notifies parents.

Brandt said searches are conducted by certified administrators and that the district attempts to have a same‑sex staff member present. For suspected substance use, administrators said they require a doctor’s clearance and, where appropriate, drug screening. “Number one, make sure they’re okay,” Brandt said, describing the priority as student safety.

Several trustees and parents pushed back. One parent described being told after her child’s search that no call had been made to the parent beforehand despite the parent answering her phone immediately; she said the experience left her child “mortified.” Trustees asked for data on how often searches produce contraband, how many repeat offenders there are, and whether group identification in a restroom automatically rises to individualized reasonable suspicion.

Public commenter Rebecca Peterson recommended a cautious approach: she said routine group searches of everyone in a bathroom are unlikely to meet judicial standards for individualized reasonable suspicion and urged administrators to rely first on nurse observations and other non‑search steps. Peterson recommended that investigative and enforcement practices be routed through legal review to ensure due process, especially when punishments or suspensions could be contested.

Board members acknowledged the tension between student dignity and safety. They asked administration to refine parental‑notification protocols (to document reasonable attempts to contact parents before or immediately after searches) and to provide comparative data that distinguishes event‑level positive findings from per‑student hit rates. Administrators said they would continue working with counsel, review the process for same‑sex witness availability, and bring additional guidance and metrics to committee meetings.