Naperville District 203 Taking Closer Look at Random Drug Testing for Athletes

Naperville School District 203 officials are continuing to look at the possibility of random drug testing for athletes.

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

On Monday, District 203 Board of Education gave administrators more time to research drug testing and administrators are expected to report back to the board in the fall. 

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

Last month, 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, especially marijuana use, which has become "rampant" among students.

Since that time, district athletic directors have talked to officials at schools in the area where drug testing policies have been put in place including Wilmington, Sandwich, Plano, Rock Falls, Lake Zurich and Oregon High Schools.

However, Bob Ross, assistant superintendent for secondary education, told the board that he would also like to research schools that are more similar to District 203 in terms of size and demographics. 

Ross added that a random drug testing policy for athletes would be legal if it were to be implemented. 

"It's legal, we could do that," Ross said of the testing during Monday's board meeting. "There are some other things we would need to consider. It's a very involved, very complex issue as you know."  

The policy would include both athletes as well as students involved in extracurricular activities.  

Superintendent Dan Bridges said the board will continue to discuss the issue once administrators bring back more research to the board later this year. 

Should District 203 Implement a Random Drug Testing Policy for Athletes?