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North teens cited
Top Headlines Three of the teenagers were arraigned Tuesday in Attleboro Juvenile Court, and three others were arraigned Monday in Attleboro District Court on charges of unlawful possession of alcohol. The incident occurred Friday night at a freshman and sophomore dance held in the cafeteria of the middle school and is the third drinking incident involving students in The Sun Chronicle readership area. In October, 32 students at King Philip Regional High School were disciplined for a drinking incident after school at the Wrentham home of one of the students, leading to charges against one of the parents. Also, 10 football players at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School were benched for two games after a drinking incident in October. The KP incident sparked controversy after the parents of some of the students complained to the school committee that their sons or daughters were not drinking. The students arrested in the North Attleboro incident range in age from 15 to 18. One student was placed in protective custody after becoming ill from alcohol intoxication. Those not arrested were not caught with alcohol. In addition to a five-day suspension from school, School Superintendent Rick Smith said students who participate in extracurricular activities will see additional consequences. While the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association policy calls for a two-week suspension from athletic activities, North Attleboro's policy is tougher, Smith said. "North Attleboro High School has a policy that has stiffer consequences than the MIAA policy," Smith said. "Our policy calls for a six-week suspension from athletics and that is what would apply here." High School Principal Robert Gay said students face a six-week suspension from clubs and activities as well under the school's chemical health policy. In addition, any student at North Attleboro High who holds a leadership position on a sports team, or holds an officer title in an extracurricular club, loses that position for 12 months after a chemical health violation. After a student became ill due to alcohol intoxication at the dance, police working on the detail at the school checked the area for any other students, according to police reports. Patrolman Craig Chapman, one of the detail officers, checked the parking lot where he noticed a car parked with five occupants. One of the occupants got out of the vehicle and threw a beer can into the woods, police said. Beer cans and a half-filled bottle of vodka were found inside the vehicle leading to their arrests, according to police reports. The driver of the car was not drinking but was charged with unlawful possession and transporting alcohol. An investigation by detectives Daniel Arrighi and Michael Elliott found that some of the students drank or took alcohol from their parents homes without their knowledge, according to police reports. Smith said two students were taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, where they were released after treatment for alcohol intoxication. They were taken to the hospital after a decision by staff and police at the scene, he said. Smith said with alcohol use among students becoming an all too familiar occurrence in society, school officials and parents have to be firm if they want to deter their student peers from making the same wrong decisions. "Any time a student, a child, is involved in an alcohol-related incident, it seems all eyes turn to the high school principal and superintendent," Smith said. Policies involving alcohol-related incidents involving students, even in the face of some parents who complain, has to be mandatory in order to be an effective deterrent. "We are concerned about the message to other students," Smith said. "They have to know there are other choices they can make to avoid the consequences." DAVID LINTON can be reached at 508-236-0428 or at dlinton@thesunchronicle.com.
Post Your Comments Denise Reynolds wrote on Dec 13, 2006 8:16 PM: " Applause to the administration, underage drinking is no different than harrasment. 0 tolerance. Further, convicted drunk drivers should lecture to the students about the catastrophic consequences, emotionally, financially and to thier credit reports. Maybe if students heard first hand from convicted persons and thier family members they might think twice. I totally support losing or suspending all driving privelidges to any underage person involved in obtaining and consuming alcohol, the life you save may be that of my childs or mine. Great Job Mr. Smith draw the line deep in the sand and don't budge make examples of these children and any that come after. Underage drinking is to be taken seriously by administrators, parents and peers. Alcohol abuse is enormously destructive, everyone gets damaged. To all parents: Discuss this with your children take this opportunity to explain your own family consequences. Paste it on the refriderator....Shame on all the children that made poor choices and for those of you in leadership roles double shame, you are all looked up to and you let many down!! " DUH wrote on Dec 13, 2006 3:13 PM: " "However, the six-week suspension from all athletics I believe is a bit over-reaching. Considering on average a sport runs between 2-3 months, the six week suspension is the majority of the time. In my opinion, athletics are a big part in the learning/growing experience of high school and it's students/athletes."
Obviously it did not build the character of these students who put a black mark on the school, and ruined the social for everyone else. They should be banned from sports, etc and have to volunteer in an emergency room. " Huh? wrote on Dec 13, 2006 2:12 PM: " So student feels that parents are blameless?
I agree with Concerned. I know too many adults who cannot face another adult in a social situation unless there is a drink in their hand. What do we expect.
While the students are 100% responsible for their behaviour and must face the consequenses. It's just too bad many have had poor role models for acceptable behaviour. Not a defense, but a reason. " Another concerned person wrote on Dec 13, 2006 2:06 PM: " Student missed the point. Concerned did not say that the parents put the alchohol in the kids' hands. Concerned was saying the parents have to look at themselves and their behavior if they want a long term solution to the problem of their children being unable to socialize without alchohol.
Praying that their children survive until 21 is not the answer. " Student wrote on Dec 13, 2006 1:43 PM: " Being a fellow peer and friend of the forementioned students, I also have to agree that the consequences given were fair to a certain extent. If I were in the similar position as a school administrator, I too would suspend the arrested students for five days. However, the six-week suspension from all athletics I believe is a bit over-reaching. Considering on average a sport runs between 2-3 months, the six week suspension is the majority of the time. In my opinion, athletics are a big part in the learning/growing experience of high school and it's students/athletes.
Furthermore, in response to "Concerned"'s editorial: you cannot blame the parents of the forementioned students for this incident. Unless you have concrete evidence signifying that the parents personally handed the students their alcohol then these parents should not be at fault. We are teenagers, some of us are even adults now, and we are old enough to understand what could result from our actions (i.e. stealing your parents alcohol). These parents should not be blamed for the somewhat immature and irresponsible acts of these students.
Consequently, the only behaviors that have to be modified are those of the minority of irresponsible high school students. " Get-real wrote on Dec 13, 2006 1:28 PM: " Adding six months to the minimum driving age for every time a minor is convicted for posession of alchohol is reasonable.
If they aren't mature enough to realize that drinking under age is dangerous - what makes you think they can handle a car? " Tom wrote on Dec 13, 2006 11:29 AM: " Losing their drivers licenses for underage drinking, while not being caught driving, is far too extreme of a measure to take. The North Attleboro high school's policy for underage age drinking is a very strong measure in itself. These kids who got caught and all the kids that go to the school will now smarten up. " Concerned wrote on Dec 13, 2006 11:28 AM: " I too applaud the administration for their actions.
Now it's time for the parents to take a good look at their own behavior. Have you taught your children that you can't have fun or be sociable without alchohol (or some other substance)? Before you deny it ask youself this.
1. Have you been serving beer and wine [to adults] at children's birthday parties?
2. Do you let your minor children drink at Christmas "because it's Christmas"?
3. Does every family cook out involve a cooler of beer?
4. As soon as the family is seated at a restaurant, is the first thing ordered an alchohlic beverage?
5. When entering Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, McCoy Stadium or the TD BankNorth Garden - do you stop at the beer stand before finding your seat?
6. Do all of your funniest high school or college stories start out with, "My buddies and I were so wasted..."?
The above questions only explain the behavior. I don't seek to excuse it.
Maybe you aren't an alchoholic, but if you want to modify your children's behavior modify your own. " Coco wrote on Dec 13, 2006 7:11 AM: " Applause to the school administrators for taking stern measures against teen alcohol abuse. I think that kids who drink should also lose their drivers licenses for a year or two. " or
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