CLASS SHIFT: HOW SMU MANAGED TO CHANGE ITS ADMISSIONS STANDARDS 40
MAY 2016 I Vol. 36, No. 5 parkcitiespeople.com @pcpeople
Biggest Problem in Teen Drinking: Parents PROVIDING ALCOHOL AT HOME NOT SAFE ALTERNATIVE
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People Newspapers
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To the Mother I Met Tonight STUDENT CALLS OUT MOM WHO OFFERS HER A DRINK
By Britt E. Stafford
April and May are typically associated with prom, graduation, and after parties. In an effort to maintain control, some parents may decide to provide alcohol in the safety of their own home. But is that really the solution? According to the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission (TABC), in 2008, 63 percent of students from seventh to 12th grade said they had already consumed alcohol. The same report said that when minors 10 to 18 years old were asked how they were given the alcohol, 65 percent reported family and friends were the leading source. Between January 2015 and February 2016, Highland Park Police Department issued 15 citations for consumption by a minor, and University Park issued 51. In the same timeframe, HPPD reported no arrests for consumption by a minor, while UPPD made 14. Since 2013, police have broken up seven house parties in the Park Cities where minors consumed alcohol. “It’s a common misconception among parents that they think if they supervise their teen drinking, that teen will be less likely to abuse alcohol,” said Susan Morgan, Chemical Awareness Resources and Education (CARE) Executive Director. “But research absolutely
AN OPEN LETTER
FILE PHOTO
Fire and EMS crews work on a mock, two-car wreck involving several Highland Park High School students in 2006 at a “Shattered Dreams” demonstration staged by the high school and the University Park Police. There was another mock-wreck and memorial service held in 2011.
CRIME S TAT S
MAY ‘13
MAY ‘14
MAY ‘15
JAN. 2015 FEB. 2016
Citations for Consumption by a Minor
HP: 4 UP: 8
HP: 4 UP: 2
HP: 0 UP: 5
HP: 15 UP:51
Arrests for Consumption by a Minor
HP: 0 UP: 0
HP: 0 UP: 1
HP: 0 UP: 4
HP: 0 UP: 14
Citations for Minor in Possession
HP: 0 UP: 0
HP: 0 UP: 0
HP: 0 UP: 0
HP: 15 UP: 10
Arrests for Minor in Possession
HP: 0 UP: 0
HP: 0 UP: 0
HP: 0 UP: 0
HP: 0 UP: 2
S O U R C E : H I G H L A N D PA R K A N D U N I V E R S I T Y PA R K P O L I C E
et me tell you a story: In my school system, the first time I learned about drug and alcohol abuse I was in sixth grade, and had just turned 12. We had an officer come speak to our science class for six weeks and “educate” us on the effects of drugs and alcohol on our developing bodies. We had skits, pamphlets, and the officer even told us stories about her experiences with drug abuse – gory details included. Fast-forward five years, and the same stories are repeated over and over again to the same group of kids. Parents and our hopeful school administration like to think that these can really work… Sometimes, I feel bad for them. But when a story or idea is too good to be true, it probably is. Clubs like CARE, DARE, Arrow, True Grit, and Project Purple have finally met its match and we – the community and our school – have a problem: You. I’ve heard about the stories and I had been told that you were out there, but tonight was the first time I saw someone like you up close. I came because it was just
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GIFTS
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