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News & ArtsTuesday, May 24, 2011
Education / Drunk Lake Washington High School to Encourage Pot Smoking at Senior Prom
Posted by Goldy on Tue, May 24, 2011 at 9:45 AM
It's not hard to anticipate the unintended consequences of this bit of authoritarian policy: "Lake Washington HS plans alcohol test to enter prom."
Every student at Lake Washington High School's June 4 senior prom would be tested for alcohol consumption under a plan in the works by school officials — departing from the school's past practice of testing only students who showed signs of alcohol use.
"At every dance this year, there have been issues with students drinking," said Kathryn Reith, spokeswoman for the Lake Washington School District. "The principal wanted to make sure that at the prom, there was more of a deterrence."
First of all, if school officials really cared about the welfare of their students, they would test for alcohol before letting students leave the prom, rather than upon entering. We are now in the midst of the peak season for teen automobile deaths, most of it due to high school prom/graduation related drinking, and a punitive approach to the problem is not going to solve it.
Second, if they do manage to screen for alcohol at the door, and stop kids from smuggling booze in (good luck there), they'll only encourage the use of less detectable intoxicants. Just like us adult humans, teens respond to incentives, and by announcing this policy ahead of time, school officials have pretty much incentivized buzz-seeking prom-goers to turn to other drugs.
1
Where do you get the idea that "most" teen automobile deaths are related to prom or graduation? I would guess that overall a very small portion of it is. Teens drive every day, not just to the prom, and a teen driver is always impaired, even if he or she hasn't been drinking anything (they don't have fully-developed brains yet).
3
The teachers chaperoning are also usually stoned and/or had a few drinks beforehand. Ahem.
@2 SHUT UP WILL.
@2 SHUT UP WILL.
4
@2 direct feedback from young people who just went to prom.
Now, ruffled shirts - those always work, especially with a bottle of whiskey.
Now, ruffled shirts - those always work, especially with a bottle of whiskey.
5
I was treated like a criminal when I attended my prom -- full body frisk and had to relinquish my lip balm. It was disturbing. Prom sucks.
7
@1,
I've added a link. What I said was that the prom/graduation season is the peak season for teen DUI deaths. The accident and fatality rates have been dropping over the past couple decades, but this pattern has long been true.
I've added a link. What I said was that the prom/graduation season is the peak season for teen DUI deaths. The accident and fatality rates have been dropping over the past couple decades, but this pattern has long been true.
8
Wow. Every kid whose teacher or parent forces them to use the hand sanitizer with alcohol is going to test positive!
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/24…
This will out the germaphobes for sure!
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/24…
This will out the germaphobes for sure!
9
It was a long, long, long time ago, but I don't recall getting drunk before or during prom. The pre-prom running around (getting dressed up, pictures, dinner, etc) made it almost impossible. I suppose I may have sneaked a pull or two off a friend's flask either before or during, but I and everyone I knew was pretty much sober during the actual event.
The after-prom parties, however? Different story entirely.
The after-prom parties, however? Different story entirely.
11
I definitely got drunk before prom. And during prom my senior yearsomebody pulled the fire alarm around 10 and we all went to drink in the parking lot before they let us back in.
12
We used to get 10 24-packs of Rainier and head up and have a pre-prom party on a nearby mountain and then stay up all night for prom for the pancake breakfast.
Beer and hard liquor was easy to get hold of then, and it's easy to get hold of now ... in MIDDLE SCHOOL.
If you don't know that, you're a police plant and you're a liar.
Beer and hard liquor was easy to get hold of then, and it's easy to get hold of now ... in MIDDLE SCHOOL.
If you don't know that, you're a police plant and you're a liar.
13
(or was it Kokanee ... damn, that's the prob with drinking, you can't remember details, especially in the MJ-exporting capital of the world)
14
@1, the link is better, but I'd still like a better source than "Partnership at Drugfree.org".
And that is definitely NOT what you said -- you said "most". And your sentence still reads to me as if you're saying that most teen automobile deaths are due to prom/graduation drinking, which is NOT what that link says. It says they "may be more likely to engage in risky behavior" then.
All year long is a danger period for teen drivers.
And that is definitely NOT what you said -- you said "most". And your sentence still reads to me as if you're saying that most teen automobile deaths are due to prom/graduation drinking, which is NOT what that link says. It says they "may be more likely to engage in risky behavior" then.
All year long is a danger period for teen drivers.
16
At my senior prom, we had a boat cruise out on Lake Michigan after the prom proper. We'd been told in advance that some of us would be randomly breathalyzed, and anyone found to have been drinking would be denied entry to the boat.
About six people were caught this way. Dumbasses.
About six people were caught this way. Dumbasses.
17
At my senior prom...I dunno what happened. I didn't go. People like me didn't get to go to proms.
18
@3 Of course, they won't test the chaperones. Just like they test HS soccer players for drugs, but not the coach or the janitors.
And who is going to pay for this entrance exam? I thought all the schools were broke!
And who is going to pay for this entrance exam? I thought all the schools were broke!
19
I didn't drink before or at prom because I was driving people in my own car, but boy howdy did I get stoned. Which was probably for the best, because the event itself was ridiculously boring.
20
Authoritarianism like this is on my list of reasons why I do not want kids. Lighten the fuck up already, if they are not driving, fighting, taking their clothes off on the dance floor, or otherwise misbehaving, then leave them kids alone.
And shame on the parents who encouraged/approved of this. What, you didn't do shit like this when you were a kid? Which reminds me of another reason I would not want be a parent: the other fucking parents!
And shame on the parents who encouraged/approved of this. What, you didn't do shit like this when you were a kid? Which reminds me of another reason I would not want be a parent: the other fucking parents!
21
Sir Vic, great question about the schools being broke. Combine that with our lousy test scores, and you have to wonder if the money we waste warning the kiddies about the dangers of alcohol, drugs, and who knows what else would be better spent on math, science, or even the arts. Or smaller classes.
22
Is this news? I went to a private school & we were all breathalyzed before prom, 10 years ago. We just left early & got blackout drunk after! Everyone knows the actual prom sucks anyway
23
I went to lake washington high school. Go kangs. People showed up to prom, if they got past the breathalyzers (they've been doing this since 2005 at least) then they stayed for 2 hours tops and then left so that they could go drink at someone's house or hotel room. It's going to be a mormon-only prom this year.
24
Who the hell goes to prom drunk, and who the hell that wants to drinks stays at prom? You go, mingle in your goofy clothes for a bit, get the pictures, then you're out of there to go do all the things you can't do at prom.
25
The problem with drinking and driving isn't the drinking, it's the driving. That goes double for teens. If you want to reduce drinking and driving, give kids places to drink where they don't have to drive.
26
My old man was principal at my H.S. in Wisconsin, in a town where there was a huge amount of recreational (and problem) drinking -- part of the culture and the legal age was 18 then. He and the assistant principals would make a point of pinning a flower on each kid's robe at graduation to exchange a pleasantry and check breath/eyes etc. Cheap and effective.
28
Ha ha. I went to LWHS, go Kangs, yada yada, and almost got suspended right before graduation because my boyfriend & I were caught in his car enjoying a bottle of champagne--busted by a King Co. sheriff--in the parking lot outside of the senior prom, no less. Young and dumb.
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