Citing 'Rampant' Pot Use, Naperville District 203 Considers Random Drug Testing

Naperville School District 203 officials are mulling the idea of implementing random drug testing for high school athletes. 

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Officials from Naperville North and Naperville Central High School said they would like to explore the possibility of taking a proactive approach to the drug issue, which has become 'rampant' among students.

“Our biggest concern is the pressure on kids is pretty severe now," said Naperville North Athletic Director Jim Konrad during Monday's Board of Education meeting. "Marijuana is rampant in the schools.” 

Konrad said he's seen more than 30 violations so far this year; 24 of them for marijuana. 

And the problem is also prevalent at Naperville Central, officials said.

“We have the same issue," said Naperville Central Athletic Director Andrew Lutzenkirchen. "Marijuana is running rampant and some of it is right before they come to school in the morning. So it's not just the weekend parties, it’s everyday of the week now."

Discussion on the issue surfaced when a recent committee of parents, students, administrators and coaches met to review the district's co-curricular code.  

“The code isn’t always acting as the deterrent that we’d like it to,” Bob Ross, assistant superintendent for secondary education, told the board.

Based on feedback from the committee, Ross said the idea of random drug testing for athletes as well as students involved in extracurricular activities was brought up.

“There’s obviously a great deal to consider,” he told the board. "There’s legal angles, there’s a thousand different angles that we can consider and we’d like to explore those.”

Board President Mike Janesch agreed with Konrad about the district taking a proactive approach.

“I’m not that naive, but I was surprised how prevalent not only the administrators thought the drug problem was, but how prevalent the students said it was," he said.

He added that the widespread use of drugs and their accessibility within the school district was shocking.

"Once again, I don’t live with my head in the sand, but I was shocked that we have that kind of [drug] culture."

Read More on Patch's "Heroin: Naperville's Drug Reality" Page

Superintendent Dan Bridges said he would like a report submitted regarding the issue after officials talk to other districts who have implemented drug testing before any action is taken. 

“This is not something at this point that we’re looking to recommend for next year," Bridges added. 

In 2011, officials from north suburban Lake Zurich School District 95 rejected a proposal that would require Lake Zurich High School athletes and students involved in extracurricular activities to submit to random drug testing. 

District 203 officials will discuss the issue again during the June 17 board of education meeting. 

Watch the Board of Education discussion on drug testing here. Discussion begins near the 1:30 mark.