Thursday, November 6th, 2008
Students will be tested for alcohol; could be charged
By William Kincaid
NEW BREMEN - Students who test positive for alcohol at any high school dance may be charged with underage consumption by the police, Superintendent Ann Harvey says.
Harvey told school board members during a meeting Wednesday night that the new high school policy will go into effect immediately.
"Charges will be filed," Harvey said about students testing positive for alcohol.
No vote was taken on the policy and no one at Wednesday night's meeting objected to it, but board member Larry Tangeman suggested school organizations, such as student council, release the new information to all high schoolers.
Individuals with a background in law enforcement will conduct the screens on a random basis as students and guests enter any dance. All who come after 9 p.m. will be subject to the screen. Dances typically last from 8:30 p.m. to midnight, according to the policy.
Others may be tested based on visual observations.
Those selected will be taken aside from the entrance and administered either a saliva or breathalyzer test. Anyone who refuses the test will not be allowed in the dance.
Students or guests testing positive will be subject to a police citation as well as a school code of conduct violation, which also includes athletic and National Honor Society consequences for students in those programs.
If an atten-dant who is a student at another school tests positive, his or her school will be notified of the incident, the policy says.
Costs for
the tests will be paid through a portion of the event's admission ticket.
Also at the meeting, board members:
• Learned 64 students are receiving free lunches this year, while 29 students are getting reduced-price lunches. Last school year, 46 students received free lunches and 29 got reduced-price lunches.
• Learned the school is transporting 297 students by bus this school year, compared to 315 last year. Also, the busses are driving a total of 213 miles a day this school year, compared to 191 miles last year.
• Approved community volunteers Tom Thiem for junior high basketball and Sam Hinker for varsity girls basketball.
