Ridgewood Schools Drug, Alcohol Cases Drastically Decrease

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — The Ridgewood Public School District had a dramatic decrease in substance-abuse cases for the 2017-18 school year compared to the previous year.

New Jersey has released its annual list of substance-abuse cases reported by each school district, revealing the most recent data of reported cases.

Here is a look at how Ridgewood ranked compared to the 2016-17 school year:

There were seven such cases reported in Ridgewood for the 2017-18 school year, according to numbers released by the New Jersey Department of Education recently. This decreased by 10 cases over what was reported in the 2016-17 school year, when there were 17 cases.

The drop was the second highest decrease among Bergen County districts. Only Ridgefield Park had more. Englewood had the most number of cases in Bergen County with 24. Hasbrouck Heights was No. 2 with 23, the data shows.

The state Department of Education has cautioned that these numbers are reported by each district, so each jurisdiction is responsible for reporting its results fairly and accurately. But they are required by law to report them.

To view the statewide list, including the districts with the highest increases and biggest reductions, click here.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com