Hi, Dr. Laura...
After your discussion with a mother and daughter regarding driving to the daughter's junior prom and your statement, "They WILL be drinking", I thought you might like to see an email I JUST got from my daughter's parochial school regarding their prom next week.
PROM Procedures for students attending: We believe in keeping our students safety as a priority and will conduct Breathalyzer testing throughout the evening to help ensure a safe environment • Any student refusing the test or failing the test will be removed from Prom, detained and their parents will be contacted for pick up • Students must arrive by 9:00pm and will not be allowed to leave until 11:00pm Our school does not sanction before and after Prom parties/activities.
These new procedures were put in place after this year's homecoming dance, where a group of kids actually smuggled in booze and was trying to 'spike the punch'. Three of the six were already so drunk they reeked of it, one admitted to having a beer; the last two denied drinking and passed the Breathalyzer tests. Two kids were expelled, the third was not invited back for second semester, the fourth was suspended for a week and the two were suspended for two days for being with the drunken kids. None of the parents complained.
Michelle
