Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) dropped in Wednesday at Naperville Central High School and was told by students that there is still a group at the school known as “the smokers,” although he said it is getting increasingly more difficult for them to light up.
Sitting at a high school desk, the senator, a longtime foe of tobacco, listened as students and staff at the high school told him what they think of the city’s recent ordinance banning possession of tobacco by minors.
“If you’re under 18, you have no right to smoke. It’s that simple,” said Cassia Johnson, 17, a senior at Naperville Central.
Durbin’s visit was part of an education swing he made through DuPage County and western Cook County suburbs, making additional stops to present Pleasantdale Elementary in La Grange with the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Education and to meet with the newspaper staff at Hinsdale Central High School.
But at Naperville Central, the topic was smoking. A student poll by the school’s Student Advisory Council, said sophomore Joyce Chen, showed nearly 70 percent of students thought the ordinance would be helpful.
Not all students thought the ordinance was flawless.
Sophomore Matt Briggs said, “The problem I have is the enforcement outside the building. The police see it, but they aren’t going to do anything about it. It’s like when you’re speeding.”
School Resource Officer Greg Bell has issued six citations at Naperville Central since the ordinance went into effect Dec. 1. He is the only one in the city who has.
Two students who accused of smoking on the first day the ordinance was in effect have a court hearing scheduled for Dec. 24. If found guilty, they will choose between paying a $100 fine and enrolling in one of two stop-smoking programs at Naperville’s Edward Cardiovascular Institute. Court dates for the other students have not been set, Bell said.
Critics of the ordinance argue that more attention should be spent on preventing retailers from selling tobacco to minors, rather than focusing punishment on teen buyers. But Durbin said retailers insist prevention laws are ineffective if they focus only on one side of the sales counter.
“Nationally, retailers have said if you hold us to a certain standard, you should also hold the purchaser responsible. This city did it and with wide support from the parents and students,” Durbin said. “Naperville is leading the way nationally. We’re watching very closely to see how it works here.”
At Naperville Central, students say they can see a difference.
Junior Erin Stiling said, “Smoking in the bathrooms has declined dramatically. Last year, some were locked, because there weren’t enough supervisors. This year, they have been able to keep them open.”
To help squelch teenagers’ desires to light up, 25 parent volunteers roam the hallways and restrooms between classes.
“You don’t see groups of students standing around smoking before school anymore,” Bell said. “They are just as crafty, but now there is more head-turning to see if anyone is watching them.”
