Last week Westbrook High School suspended 14 athletes for violating the school’s code of conduct by attending a party where there was underage drinking.
Although school administrators said the suspensions would not damper the season, it’s obviously an unfortunate start to the school year and the athletic season.
The suspensions were the result of investigations by the school into reports from students that some athletes had been at a recent party where there was drinking – something they are forbidden to do under the district’s extracurricular code of conduct.
School district employees should be applauded for taking the reports seriously, investigating them and holding students accountable. Obviously, Westbrook athletes are not the only ones drinking alcohol. At many schools, however, school officials unfortunately look the other way when they hear reports of athletes drinking.
The recent suspensions were the second set of high profile athletic suspensions Westbrook High School has had to impose in the last two years. Two years ago, seven members of the varsity basketball team were suspended from a playoff game for similar violations of the school’s alcohol policy. At the time, parents of the basketball players protested, arguing to the school board that the district’s alcohol policy was too strict. The school board did the right thing and upheld the suspensions.
Westbrook has worked to respond to reports of student drinking and drug use. The school has held public forums to address the problem in recent years, and school administrators have upheld strict school policies. Recently police received a $5,000 grant to help combat underage drinking. Police have established a hotline and have increased patrols to stop teenagers from drinking at parties and in public places. However, it seems the message that the school won’t tolerate drinking and drug use isn’t getting through to some athletes and students, and teenage drinking continues to be a problem.
There is no easy solution to the problem. Drinking is a big part of the culture that all of these teenagers have grown up in. That doesn’t mean, however, that student drinking should be accepted as an unavoidable part of growing up. The community and parents have a responsibility to set standards and continually work toward upholding them, particularly when it comes to its youngest and most vulnerable members.
Teachers, coaches and parents need to take every opportunity to talk to students about what is expected of them and what students can expect to happen to them if they’re caught violating the rules. They’ve also got to be healthy, responsible role models. The community should continue to hold forums to talk about the problems, and police should play an active role. Members of the community who know of underage drinking can report it on the hotline set up by the schools and police (854-0644, ext. 7).
The community needs to continue to take this problem seriously by reinforcing the messages it’s sending and looking for new ways to respond to it.
-Brendan Moran
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