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Alcohol tests ahead for school dances
(by Sue Hoffman - February 25, 2009)
Alcohol tests ahead for school dances
By SUE HOFFMAN
Solon High School will screen students for alcohol prior to admitting them to the winter semi-formal on March 21 and the prom on May 30.
"We had watched to see what other districts were doing during the past 18 months to two years regarding alcohol testing at some of the non-required events, in these cases, dances held at the school," Superintendent Joseph V. Regano told the school board Monday. "We're impressed with the results," he said.
"We're going to do alcohol testing for everyone who comes to the dance," he said.
"The test takes about 10 seconds to administer and does not require blowing into a mouthpiece," Mr. Regano said. "It is a passive test, which means you just need to speak very closely to the cone-shaped unit." Students will say their name and address into the unit, called an Alco-Sensor FST, he said. "The meter reads either positive or negative, and then the student is either admitted to the dance or not."
He said that Breathalyzers will be available for further testing, if needed. When students are found to be under the influence of alcohol, school officials will call the parents to take them home, he said.
"If it's successful, we'll ask the board to approve a policy for the other dances," Mr. Regano said.
Alcohol testing at dances is not new, he said. "We do it when there's suspicion." The difference is that all students will be tested, he said. "The old way was to look for the effects" of alcohol use, he said. "In this way, even one drink will show."
Mr. Regano said there have been some incidents in which students were found to be under the influence of alcohol at dances in the past few years. "There haven't been a lot, but one's too many," he said.
The winter formal next month has the lightest attendance of all the high school dances and is a good one to start the new testing program, he said.
School districts that have instituted testing noted a "dramatic drop-off" of students under the influence of alcohol at their events, Mr. Regano said. He is aware of 10 nearby school districts with alcohol-testing programs, including Kenston, Chagrin Falls, North Olmsted, Independence and Bay Village, he said.
Chagrin Falls High School used the Alco-Sensor FST at homecoming last fall, testing all 400 students in attendance. According to Chagrin Falls school officials, no student was found to be under the influence at the dance, and there was no impact on the number who attended.
Solon School Board President Margo Morrow said alcohol testing "can help parents" in working with their children, reinforcing that it's illegal for those underage to drink alcohol.
"We want zero incidences of alcohol," Mr. Regano said. He said alcohol use "is not a Solon thing. It's an issue every district has."
Mr. Regano said alcohol testing is part of an effort to provide the safest environment for high school students, and it has the support of student leaders. High school officials have been studying the issue for several months and view the new program as "a positive step," he said.
"We believe this is another protection that the district can use to support our parents who want to keep a safe and healthy environment in Solon schools. High school parents will be informed by direct communication, and students will participate in a preplanned anti-alcohol assembly where the testing program will be explained to them," Mr. Regano said.
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