A Gorham School Committee member has called for a tougher athletic policy on student drinking, after the grandparents of a hockey player questioned why players on the team were not suspended from a playoff game for their involvement in a party where alcohol was consumed.
Two Gorham teenagers and a Limerick man received summonses last week in connection with a party on Feb. 18 at a home in Gorham, according to Gorham Police Chief Ron Shepard. When asked whether members of the Gorham boys hockey team had attended the Feb. 18 party where police believe underage drinking took place, Shepard replied, “Allegedly.”
Shepard said a 17-year-old boy from Gorham has been charged with furnishing liquor to minors and a 15-year-old boy from Gorham has been charged with furnishing a place for minors to consume alcohol. Shepard declined to release the names of the two because they are juveniles.
Shepard also said Gregory D. Bradford, 22, of Limerick, has been charged with furnishing liquor to a minor.
“We’re fortunate that nothing drastic happened as a result,” Shepard said about the incident. “Kids have to realize that there are consequences to their actions.”
School committee member Jason Libby, the chairman of the policy committee, said he would like the school department to have tougher consequences for students who are caught drinking.
“We’re taking it very seriously,” Libby said.
The party happened six days before Gorham lost to Deering High School in a preliminary round of the Western Class A hockey tournament. Bob and Candi Oliver, grandparents of a player on the Gorham hockey team, asked school administrators in a letter on Feb. 26 why four members of the team “caught drinking in the week before the playoff game” had been allowed to play. The grandson of the Olivers was not involved in the drinking incident, according to the Olivers.
Gorham High School Principal John Drisko wrote to the Olivers that, under the policy in the athletic handbook, students who self-refer – turn themselves in – in a first offense “may not be suspended from practice or play.”
Drisko wrote that the school followed the policy. “Three players self-referred, and one player did not,” Drisko wrote.
Drisko and Superintendent Ted Sharp have declined to release details of how the school department responded to the reports of student athletes drinking, other than to say that officials followed school policy.
Libby said the policy for athletes is the Athletic Department policy, “definitely” not a school committee policy. Libby favors a suspension for a quarter of a season for players who turn themselves in for a violation. “If they don’t turn themselves in, it should be for the whole season,” Libby said.
The other two members of the policy committee are Roger Marchand and Janet Williams. Marchand couldn’t be reached for comment this week, and Williams, who has been out of town, said Tuesday she was unaware of the situation and declined comment.
School committee member Marie South said she trusted that school administrators followed the policy as written “and that the policy is in good shape.”
Lt. Chris Sanborn of Gorham police said the department is stepping up enforcement of underage drinking after recently receiving a $2,000 grant. Gorham received the grant through the Cumberland County Underage Drinking Enforcement Task Force.
“We’re taking a pretty tough approach, enforcement wise,” Sanborn said.
Sanborn said education for Gorham officers about underage drinking is under way. “Our officers have already completed some online training,” Sanborn said.
Shepard said police will put on extra details between now and graduation time. The summonses issued last week should serve as a warning to others, Shepard said.
Sanborn said Gorham police would be working in partnership with the Cumberland County Underage Drinking Enforcement Task Force, the University of Southern Maine and Gorham Youth Voices.
“We strongly encourage anyone with information regarding underage drinking activity to contact the Gorham Police Department at 839-5581,” Sanborn said.
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