Schools
Do Glenbrook North High School, District 225 Have Drug Problems? (UPDATED)
Two residents, including a WLS-AM radio host, think so. Find out why and what they want parents to do about it.
NORTHBROOK, IL — A Chicago radio show host is one of the Glenbrook School District 225 residents who think Glenbrook North High School has a drug problem and is urging parents to confront school officials about it.
On Saturday, David Hochberg, who hosts the real estate and personal finance program "Home Sweet Home Chicago" on WLS-AM (890), rallied listeners in GBN's district to attend the school board's meeting Monday, Aug. 8, and ask administrators why they haven't instituted stronger deterrents to curtail drug use among students. The host said his concern was rooted in a growing heroin problem in the northern suburbs and the lack of measures to police students — such as drug-sniffing dogs that are used by nearby Buffalo Grove and Adlai E. Stevenson high schools.
Here's some of what Hochberg had to say during his broadcast:
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"For some reason, District 225 where I live does not have sniffing dogs walking through. Now why is this important, why are we talking about it on Home Sweet Home Chicago? Because schools are very important for people's home values. I don't need a high school kid dropping dead in high school because they're taking drugs that teachers seem to think they have it under control—and I'm not knocking teachers. …
"And they've got open campus for whatever reason that is. I have no idea why you would let a kid off of campus during the school day. Then they go and get freaking loaded in their cars and go back in the school. I don't have any kids at Glenbrook North High School yet, but they're going in in two years. … It's a fact of life, there's drugs out there, alcohol out there, and it's my responsibility as a parent to make sure that they don't do that. But I don't need ... I want my child to go to school in a safe environment."
Hochberg's comments came on the heels of a mass email sent out Friday night by Chris Suffet, another district resident. Suffet also encouraged parents to attend the upcoming school board meeting
"As many of you know, the drug problem at GBN is a very big issue," Suffet wrote in the email. "Superintendent, Dr. [Michael] Riggle, has expressed that the 'teachers' have it under control and does not want to discuss it any further. Dr. Riggle is WRONG. … I am not asking you to do anything more than show up. A full room will show the board that we, as a community, want more done to keep the drugs out of GBN. … Hopefully, we can get the Board to listen and open up a dialog about reassessing thedrug policy."
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While neither Hochberg nor Suffet cited specific examples of rampant drug use at Glenbrook North or in the district, the two residents did allude to the overall heroin epidemic in Chicago's north suburbs. Hochberg also brought up Alex Laliberte, the Buffalo Grove man and Stevenson grad whose heroin overdose death in 2008 led his family to create Live4Lali, an organization that helps those battling substance abuse.
Laliberte's death also was a driving factor behind U.S. Rep. Bob Dold's (R-10th District) recently passed bill, Lali's Law, which gives state's grants to provide better access to Naloxone, a drug that can quickly counteract the lethal effects of a heroin overdose.
Messages asking for comments from Suffet and the district school board were not immediately returned Monday.
The Glenbrook High School District 225 school board meeting is at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at the district offices, 3801 W. Lake Ave., Glenview. The district's drug policy is not on the meeting's agenda, but residents are being asked about that topic during public comments at the beginning of the meeting.
UPDATED (5:16 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8): David Hochberg contacted Patch on Monday afternoon to clarify that he isn't out to attack Glenbrook North High School and District 225 administrators. He's concerned when he hears other parents talk about students bringing brownies laced with marijuana into the school and reads reports of an increased drug problem throughout the Chicago area. Hochberg simply wants to know why officials don't think more needs to be done, given the looming problem of substance abuse in the area.
"Why not have some type of deterrent?" Hochberg told Patch, referring to having police perform sweeps of the school building with drug-sniffing dogs. "Let the teachers teach. Let the dogs find the drugs. … If we have the resources to do it, we should do it."
And while Hochberg has no kids in the high school yet (his oldest is in eighth grade), he is far from a detached observer who just happens to live in the district. Along with donating money to help put new turf on GBN's field, Hochberg also has served as a guest instructor and helped out with classes at the school.
YOUR TURN: Do you think Glenbrook North High School and Glenbrook High School District 225 have a drug problem? If so, what should be done about it? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.
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