Britney Spears Ordered to Undergo Drug Testing, Attend Parenting Classes

By Sarah Harper

Published on September 21, 2007

Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon issued the mandate on September 17 as part of Spears and Federline’s child custody proceedings. Citing evidence of habitual substance abuse, he ordered Spears to refrain from using drugs or alcohol in her children’s presence or within 12 hours of taking charge of them. He also ordered her to undergo random twice-weekly drug and alcohol screening, attend a parenting program, and have regular meetings with a parenting coach.

Spears and Federline married in October 2004 and divorced in July 2007. They share joint custody of their two sons – Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2. In the court proceedings, Federline has been seeking greater custody of the children.

The court order places Spears, whose image has already been damaged by several recent events – including a strange February head-shaving incident and a much-criticized MTV Video Music Awards performance – under intense pressure. According to Pennsylvania family law attorney Lynne Gold-Bikin, it would be very detrimental to Spears' case to violate the order. Yet, the chance of relapse is high, according to Julie Albright, a University of Southern California sociologist who said that people in Britney's situation tend to backslide easily.

The ex-couple’s next hearing, at which Spears' parenting coach will report observations to the court, is scheduled for Nov. 26.

Comment on this article