There was no age limit for drinking yet those that drank did so responsibly and no one took off to talk with locals or dance with locals or took a cab. We all walked back to the hotel and no one was lost along the way.
It really does help when people watch out for one another. Nobody stayed out all night.
It really does appear that on this Aruba trip all the kids did what they wanted, when they wanted, and where they wanted. There was no "have fun but stay close together" mentality. Naive, foolish, and possibly deadly.
This is the difference between responsible and irresponsible chaperones.
Thousands of American kids travel abroad without any problems every year. They are usually well-supervised, and have a chaperone ratio of 1 chap. to 8 kids.
My son's godmother has been taking HS students to France, England, and Italy for 30 years now. She has had minor problems--like a kid who broke a leg--but never once had a child become a crime victim. She is a resposible, wary, alert, and dedicated teacher.