Then the parents abdicated their duty to protect their children by not hiring people who would SUPERVISE them .. they are very young and very inexperienced.
According to her highschool spokesman, the trip wasn't school sponsored, but one that this 'group' had gone on for several years. He didn't say what particular 'group' he meant, but clearly kids and parents involved. So they have this Aruba trip for three or four years, and everything is fine. Most parents would feel confident that their kids would be safe. No doubt they read her a list of do's and don't's before she left, but she didn't listen. On the top of that list had to be Don't go anywhere alone. Take a girlfriend or chaperone with you. She is said to have packed her bags and left for the evening, taking a little cash and her driver's license.