Posted on 02/24/2005 7:56:16 AM PST by SmithL
A parent chaperon is accused of buying alcohol for students on a field trip.
Lenoir City Schools Superintendent Wayne Miller, along with police and the District Attorney are investigating the report.
Miller says the incident allegedly happened Saturday night, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Seventeen students and four chaperones from Lenoir City High's Chamber Choir were sightseeing and performing in the city last weekend. They performed in a Baptist Church Sunday.
Miller is still gathering information, but he says it appears a number of students were with a mother, when she stopped at a convenient store and bought the alcohol. He says just three students, including the woman's daughter, later chose to drink it in her presence.
"If a parent had provided my own daughter with alcohol, I would have a serious issue with that," Miller says.
His daughter is involved in the high school choral program, but she wasn't on the trip.
"I have no idea why, no idea why," he reacts. "It's just an example of extremely poor judgment on several people's parts."
Miller says a detailed, itinerary is designed to keep field trips on task. Typically, he trusts parent chaperones to supervise the time in-between scheduled events.
"We don't protect kids from parents, they are our allies," Miller says. "We've always assumed they have the same goals we do, for their children to be as successful as possible and to abide by the rules of school and civil law."
Normally, students caught drinking at school events would see a 365 day suspension because it's a zero tolerance offense.
This time, the consequences, like the circumstances, will likely be different.
Punishment for the parent isn't clear either.
"We're asking the police department to pursue this with all vigor," Miller says of the mother accused. "We'd like to see if there's charges that are able to be filed, that they are filed."
The mother accused has denied her involvement to the school principal.
The superintendent is meeting with all parents to explain what happened and what happens next Thursday at 4:30 p.m. He says counselors will be available.
Miller is also consulting with an attorney about having chaperones sign statements before field trips.
she wants to be a "cool" mom
Another case of someone wanting to be the "cool Mom" instead of acting like a parent.
It just says 'teens' what age are we talking about. 13-14, a definite no-no. 17-18 it's far less clear.
As I have learned on FR, the mother is in no way responsible, holds any blame, etc.... I am sure she is a good mother. I am glad no one was hurt but even if they had been, it would not be the mother's fault. She is a role model for us all. sarcasm/off
I'm guessing that she did it because she was miserable in high school. She had few, if any, friends and felt unattractive. She wasn't invited to parties. She's trying to relive her childhood through her daughter and her friends. It's pathetic.
Charleston in the news....
I'd say it's a definate no no either way. It was a school field trip.
And 17 or 18, should have their own fake id by then.
Any Parent who buys their kid and his or her friends alcohol is dirtbag.
Did you know that one can be charged as an adult for underage drinking.
I guess this is worse than the kids going and having someone else buy it for them on the street? That's how we got our alcohol in high school. I suppose none of the freepers here ever indulged in a drop of alcohol before the age of 21. In my personal opinion, if you are old enough to die for your country, you are old enough to drink alcohol in it. I know it isn't the law, but its my opinion. If kids want to drink they will get it one way or another. At least they were supervised and not driving. Lighten up a bit. Now if they were 13-14 years old now thats a big problem.
When I was in High School, I was riding with a teacher heading somewhere when he stopped and bought beer for some of his students. We were seniors, but man was that stupid or what? Course, that was 1981, way before zero tolerance trash but I'm sure it still would have cost him his career.
As I have learned from stumbling across your whine on at least 3 threads, you are a crybaby who is dragging some complaint from one end of the forum to the other.
Stop it and grow up.
The only possible excuse I can think of for the Mother:
She let the kids talk her into buying them
bottles of a certain brand of "pop" and
she was totally ignorant of its being booze.
For example, Warsteiner, Clausthaler, Hakke Beck,
Kaliber, Coors NA, or Kingsbury. There are
a lot more on the market that are even
stronger than these "near Beers."
What would be "far less clear"? Even if they were all 18 (highly doubtful) it would have been wrong.
You'd be surprised how many parents buy alcohol for their children's Senior Prom after party. Some even go as far as renting rooms in a local hotel for the "party."
Back in my day the drinking age was 18, so drinking after the senior prom was legal. As a parent of two sons now, I'm torn between wanting my children protected for as long as possible, and supporting the fact that at 18 you can be drafted, enter into legal contracts, and are considered a full citizen with voting rights.
LOL
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