With the passing of the school year and the graduation of outgoing chairman Steve Ross and its other directors, the Zionsville Student Rights Union in Zionsville, Indiana is passing the reins to the next group of dedicated youth. The new chairman, Abby Llorico, took office along with the rest of her team of directors at the end of May, at a gathering hosted by Ross. “I’m extremely proud of all this Board of Directors has accomplished in the past two years, and I’m incredibly excited to see what the new Board will accomplish as the ZSRU moves into a new era of success,” said Ross.
During the transition to new leadership, the ZSRU has been making progress in its drug education campaign. At a town hall meeting on April 30, ZSRU leadership, including Ross and Llorico, argued before approximately 130 people for a comprehensive drug abuse prevention program, centered on education and treatment. Ross presented data from a University of Michigan study suggesting that random student drug testing, which had been previously proposed, is generally ineffective.
The ZSRU’s message resonated with Zionsville Police Chief Richard Dowden, who suggested the possibility of using federal grant money to expand a program of voluntary drug treatment to any student who needs it. The new board of directors intends to follow up with Dowden about this option.
