So for a while there have been rumors flying around about drug testing for Uni athletes — or maybe the whole school? No one seemed to quite know what was going on.

Thus, here's a bit of clarification based on a quick interview with Director Steve Epperson about an article Lizzy Warner and I were going to write about Uni drug-testing policies.

After his response, we sort of felt that an in-depth article would be overkill for one simple reason: It's not going to happen.

I first got that impression when he more or less guffawed in my face when I posed the question, "So, what's up with drug testing at Uni?"

According to Epperson, the IHSA tests for any drugs in postseason athletes. That means athletes competing in regionals, sectionals, or state. Any drug testing prior to that in a public school is decided upon by individual school districts, and there are no plans for testing here.

Epperson went on to say that the only thing he can think of that could have started rumors about Uni testing for drugs is that the administration is considering setting up a committee of students, faculty, and parents that would go on to decide a policy for repercussions if a student or athlete was found to be using illicit substances. He said that this policy would probably be a sort of "three-strikes-you're-out" thing.

Also, Epperson mentioned that anything of that scale would take at LEAST a year to plan and organize, and everyone would be extremely well-informed.

All in all, for the moment Uni students don't need to worry about their privacy being invaded by random, unannounced drug testing. In the true spirit of Uni, all changes to policies will be openly discussed, and students will definitely have a say in the decisions.

Note: For the IHSA's drug-testing policy, including a list of banned performance-enhancing substances, consult Policy No. 24 in the Policies section of the 2008-09 IHSA Handbook.