After much opposition and three years of debate, the proposal for random drug testing was voted down on Nov. 17 at Lake Zurich High School.
If passed, the random drug testing would have been for students in extra curricular activities, such as sports or clubs. 
Of the seven board members at the meeting, five voted no, Tony Pietro abstained and Jim Burke voted present, according to the Lake Zurich Patch. The issue was strongly opposed by the community, however it affected Libertyville High School little or not at all, as LHS has strategies set to help prevent drug use already.
When asked if random drug testing was a possibility at LHS, Principal Dr. Marina Scott answered, “I don’t think so.”
“(It’s) never been brought to that point,” said SRO, Officer Uliks.
Dr. Scott believes that programs are the key to decreasing usage as they get the community involved. “I think the first way to affect usage is with proactive programs that intervene before someone makes the decision to use,” said Dr. Scott.
A known program in the community for this is the Community Partnership for Healthy Youth. The group focuses on the prevention and reduction of underage drinking and substance use.
“(The organization) looks for businesses that are interested in opening their doors/ hosting various events for our high school students in order to provide them with an alternative, safe and healthy venue for socializing and entertainment,” said Mr. Schneider, SAP coordinator at LHS. Some examples of activities the group conducts are band jams, comedy nights, dodge ball tournaments, and more.
Other strategies within our community are the drug dogs and the athletic policy, which lets athletes know that drugs are not tolerable.
Though the date and time of searches are planned ahead of time, the locations are random.
“Our mindset is to use the k-9’s to support all of our students that don’t use drugs/alcohol and to provide a safe environment for everyone,” said Officer Uliks
The IHSA does conduct random testing for athletes, specifically steroids, which has not met strong opposition.
Much of the opposition to the proposal came from parents. Results from the second survey of parents in District 95 showed 1,455 of 1,912 opposed to random drug testing, stated the Lake Zurich Patch. Of those opposing the testing, 1,139 indicated they "do not believe it is the school’s responsibility.”
Officer Bob Uliks, the student resource officer LHS, suggested that, “Some people feel like it’s an infringement.” He also said that, “people are afraid of what they will find out.”
Rob Delismon, senior at LHS, says “go for it.”
So why was the drug testing so opposed?
“...They (Those opposed) wanted things … to be private which I could understand,” said Mark Boynton, freshman swimmer at LHS.
While drugs can get someone in serious trouble, if someone was, in fact, found to have drugs in their system, no legal actions could be taken. The consequences would come from a person’s school as well as the sport or club they are in. In other words, if a student tested positive in a drug test, he would not be arrested.
Students at Lake Zurich seem to share the feeling of opposition as well.
“I think it’s a waste of money, a waste of time, and too stressful of an idea to think about,” said Sarah Mandel, junior at LZHS.