Students disciplined for drinking at anti-booze function

PROSSER - Several Prosser High School students have been disciplined for drinking alcohol during an overnight program the school uses to warn kids not to drink.

"What they did was incredibly stupid," said Principal Kevin Lusk.

Lusk informed the school through morning announcements Friday that the school's anti-drinking program, Every 15 Minutes, saw "a very small percentage (of students) exhibit very poor judgment."

Every 15 Minutes is a worldwide curriculum that illustrates the dangers of underage drinking through a daylong drama that stylistically "kills" students throughout the day. The partici-pating kids have their faces painted white and must remain absolutely silent the rest of the day.

The program's concept is based on outdated national statistics that show an average of one person dying from an alcohol-related car accident every 15 minutes. Nowadays, the number is lower.

Prosser also participated in the program two years ago. Other schools in the Yakima Valley have participated, too.

Prosser, like many other high schools, concludes the school day by busing the "dead" students to a hotel for the night, while police and school officials deliver fictionalized next-of-kin notifi-cations to the parents. The kids then rehearse for an assembly about the dangers of alcohol the next day.

Prosser held this year's program on March 24 and put more than 20 students up overnight at The Barn Motel under the supervision of four counselors.

About five of those students made phone calls to smuggle in beer, in spite of unannounced bed checks, Lusk said. Administrators found out about it a few days later from some non-participating students.

"We had kids who were extremely disappointed, to say the least," Lusk said.

Lusk would not provide details, but insisted the offending students were disciplined according to school rules.

Drinking at school-sponsored activities, for the first offense, means either a 45-day suspension or a 10-day suspension plus counseling.

Parents and police are notified. If the students are involved in extracurricular activities like sports, they sit out for 30 percent of that season's events, though they are still allowed to practice.

Lusk said school officials will someday perform Every 15 Minutes again but have not decided whether to include the overnight portion.

"We'll take the black eye on this, but we're going to keep fighting," Lusk said.

Prosser police helped school administrators get to the bottom of the incident but do not plan any criminal investigation or charges, Chief Pat McCullough said.