COUNSELING REPLACES SUSPENSION FOR DRUG USERS

By Amanda Beeler Tribune Staff Writer April 1, 1999 Students caught abusing
drugs or alcohol at school in Round Lake and Antioch no longer face
immediate suspension.

Instead of being forced out of school, students and their parents are given
the opportunity to participate in a 5-week group counseling program.

The programs, administered by the Northern Illinois Council on Alcoholism
and Substance Abuse (NICASA), began last fall at Antioch Community High
School and Round Lake High School.

NICASA Prevention Administrator Laurel Dahl said it is important to work
with students suspected of using drugs rather than kicking them out of
school and inviting them to use drugs again.

"This way they're getting an education and are given an opportunity to take
advantage of what they did and learn from that experience," Dahl said.

Dahl meets with small groups of students once a week for two hours during
the program and talks to students about taking responsibility for their
actions and having them examine how they make decisions.

Parents are encouraged to attend two of the sessions so that communication
barriers can be broken down.

Parents agree to follow the recommendations of program administrators when
their teens participate, and if specific students are in need of special
help, Dahl refers to additional counseling or rehabilitation.

School survey: Libertyville District 70 plans to poll parents to make sure
its long-term plans meet parents' expectations.

Between Monday and April 16, the Research Group of Niles will survey 255
randomly chosen parents to learn their thoughts on the Libertyville schools.

The 65-question survey, which administrators say takes about 15 minutes to
answer, is similar to a survey of parents taken two years ago as part of
the district's long-range strategic planning.

Parents chosen to participate in the survey were notified by letter recently.

Walking for Bob: Students and staff members at Grayslake High School will
do more than raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society when
they hit the trail April 18 at Busse Woods Forest Preserve in Elk Grove
Village.

The team participating in the 9-mile walk also will be raising money to
help purchase an automobile lift system for Grayslake Special Education
Coordinator Bob Roth, who has MS.

While it is common for groups of people participating in the MS Walks to
walk in honor of an MS sufferer, it is rare that teams collect pledges for
specific individuals, said Joel Kessel, manager of communications at the
Chicago Greater Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"To have someone rallying around (him) to raise money to actually make his
life more accessible is unusual," Kessel said.

The Grayslake team is expected to include 60 people and hopes to raise at
least $3,000 to help outfit Roth's vehicle with an EZ Rizer system that
helps him move into his car.

For more information on pledging or walking with the Grayslake Community
High School team, contact Sue Calderone at 847-223-8621, extension 4550.