Sad day for our community | Letter

Published 2:06 pm Friday, August 3, 2012

How sad. The school board voted to strike a section of a policy in the athletic handbook that would have had consequences for teens being in attendance where alcohol or other drugs were being used. The board had the opportunity to raise the community norm by encouraging the healthy and safe behavior of young people. They chose not to recognize positive efforts to keep teens safe and encourage legal, rather than illegal behavior. Clearly the board was willing to be hijacked by a group of well organized parents who think it is okay to be present where illegal activity is happening. It is not okay. It is not healthy. It is not safe. It violates all health and safety curriculum taught in Washington schools.

Athlete or not, why would any parent or guardian of a young person, give their teen the “job” of policing other young people engaged in illegal and unsafe behavior, with the responsibility of “rescuing” another teen? By their very presence at a place where illegal behavior is happening, a teen is giving credence to inappropriate and unsafe choices made by other teens.

Instead, a teen who refuses to attend an event where alcohol and other drugs might be present sends a positive message to other teens that it is not okay, it is not healthy or safe, and the behavior is illegal.

How sad for our community.

Why not support the protective factor that encourages teens to say “no, I will not attend because there may be alcohol or other drugs at a particular location”? We ought to be encouraging this sort of response, rather than putting young people, inappropriately, in charge of the behavior or other teens.

Young people, school administration, teachers, coaching staff and the community all lose with this decision. It can carry grave consequences for the future. This decision by the board says something loud and clear about expectations for our young people.

Mari Gardner

Orcas Island