dorefeith reporter
Inside
“We urge you to be at home if a party is to be held at your house and to make certain that only non-alcoholic beverages are served,” Dean of Students Roslyn Landy wrote in a Prom-related email to parents of seniors. CESJDS’ usual steps to prevent underage drinking include bringing in outside sources to present programs about the effects of drinking. In addition to in-school programs, the administration has sent emails, such as the above, to alert parents to potential parties and big student gatherings. Perhaps the most controversial consequence is the suspension or expulsion of students getting caught drinking. Upon being caught with alcohol, a student can be suspended, banned from the senior trip to Europe and Israel, expelled or even referred to the police, according to the Upper School student/parent handbook. In addition to following school rules, students must, of course, follow state and federal laws. Maryland and Virginia have passed new laws regarding underage drinking and driving. While the legal driving blood-alcohol concentration, or BAC, for adults over 21 is below 0.08 percent, the new Maryland law mandates that people under 21 may not have a BAC above 0.02 percent, equivalent to one drink per hour for a 120-pound person. In Maryland, a person under 21 pulled over with a BAC above the limit must participate in an interlock system program, under which participants must consent to have a device installed in their car that measures their BAC and will not allow the car to start if their BAC is too high. An ignition interlock system requires a breathalyzer test to start a vehicle’s ignition.
Failing the breathing test results in a locked ignition, not allowing the car to turn on. Virginia also uses the interlock system and minors can be fined a minimum of $500 and lose their licenses for a year, which is double the fine for adults over 21 convicted of driving under the influence (DUI). Junior Ethan Walfish believes that Maryland and Virginia’s ignition interlock systems are fair and effective when it comes to preventing DUIs. “[The ignition interlock system] should be the punishment because anything less than that, like if you were to ticket them, is not really severe enough. Drinking alone is bad enough, but getting into a car?” Walfish said. “If you’re over 21, it’s bad to drink and drive, but you are allowed to drink, so therefore the punishment should be a little lesser than [that of ] people who are not allowed to drink.” JDS takes underage alcohol consumption concerns seriously, and will do its best to prevent a party from happening upon suspicion that there will be alcohol. However, the school may not prevent a private party from happening, but it can advise parents to be present at the party and supervise the students. Before school events, such as Zimriah and Color War, the administration contacts parents to ensure that they will be in attendance at any scheduled party. “We’d be inclined to be active in helping the parents with the details because we know students drive to school the next day,” Principal Michael Kay said. “Very often the administration calls parents to recommend protocols that they should put into place to prevent alcohol consumption,” he continued. These protocols can be as simple as just being at home if the parent expects a large group to come over. Most of these issues, especially those
IN DEPTH Prom fever
Prom is on Feb. 2, but students prepare for the night in advance, planning promposals and dealing with Prom-related stress. See Pages 8-9
SPORTS Eitan Chemerinski
The JDS alumnus returned home to play for the Cornell University basketball team against the University of Maryland’s team. See Page 15
involving law enforcement, are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, Kay said. “We take pride in having a system that allows us to take into account the circumstances of every individual action. That said, we obviously would take very seriously any scenario when a student of ours is in trouble with law,” he said. Senior Nicole Nabatkhorian believes that the administration should stay out of the business of private parties. “I don’t really think the administration has the right to stop parties or call parents and say ‘Don’t host this party.’ As educators, they’re teaching us good morals … about underage drinking and smoking, but I don’t think they have the right to call up our parents and tell our parents, ‘Your child cannot have this party,’” she said. Walfish disagreed. “The school should come in and talk to the people responsible for providing the alcohol, the parents, the person whose house [the party is] at and any people associated at the party,” he said. Walfish also pointed out that the preemptive action taken by the school is based on assumptions, meaning that the event may or may not actually happen. “They can say, ‘no Color War parties’ or ‘no Zimriah parties,’ but they’re not going to call every parent. If people really want to have a party, you can’t just stop people from having parties,” he said.
INDEX News Chadashot In Depth Opinion Features Sports
photo illustration by Jonathan Reem
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{charles e. smith jewish day school • 11710 hunters lane, rockville, maryland • vol. 29 issue 4 • thursday, january 19, 2012}
2-4 5-7 8-9 10-11 12-14 15-16 *No alcohol was consumed in the creation of this design.