Breathalyzer at the Prom

Parent Cafe
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<p>HGFM: Indeed (once you have reached legal majority, of course). Of course, your example is spurious because “your room” is normally actually your parents’ property. But yes, if you were 18 your parents would have no legal right to do anything (search, use, etc.) your property - but while that is legally true in practical terms it is irrelevant since they’re normally supporting you and the threat of withdrawal of that support is generally sufficient.</p>

<p>As for your “but if this happened, wouldn’t you be happy to have your liberties infringed upon?”, the answer is a definitive no. I already think the US and many other countries have gone much too far in violating basic human rights and liberties since 9/11, and it is dismaying, though not at all shocking, to see that as time goes on this cavalier attitude towards civil liberties is beginning to be reflected in ever more pervasive ways throughout society. When I see whole crowds of people hardly batting an eyelash at random drug searches or testing in schools, at breathalyzers at proms, or at random and illegal wiretapping, these things truly sadden me.</p>

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<p>Our school requires everyone to either rent a limo, or take a bus rented by the school, to prom. No one is allowed to drive. They must stay until midnight, or if staying for the after prom party, until 4 AM. No breathalyzers, if they did that I would advise my kids not to go, just as I would advise them to refuse a random drug test. I feel strongly about the constitution.</p>

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<p>“I would agree with this high school student. I guess the only ones who might not, are the ones who are drinking. Otherwise…why is this a big deal??”</p>

<p>If you aren’t cheating on your taxes, then you shouldn’t mind getting audited, right?</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t have guessed that this could generate such a response. </p>

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<p>I’ve seen MySpace photos of girls with their (very slinky) dresses hiked up, alcohol bottles taped to their legs. It happens. That does not mean that I agree with pat-downs…I just wanted to respond to some of the eye-rolling going on towards this measure.</p>

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<p>Personally, I don’t think so. I can’t see a fairly typical kid thinking “Well, that rules alcohol out…bring on the hallucinogenics!” If experimentation is already happening among students, it’ll probably be happening at the prom, breathalyzers or no breathalyzers.</p>

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<p>What, in your mind, are reasonable measures? For one thing, I think that they vary by school. I just can’t help thinking that the schools are in a lose/lose position here, so they’re best to err on the side of caution. That said, there’s certainly a line between appropriate and inappropriate searching/caution, and while I don’t think that random/warranted breathalyzers cross it, blanket tests get much, much closer (I still see their point, but I’d be a lot less laid-back about having to take one). I’m hard-pressed to give a concrete answer because like I said, I do think that to some degree, it depends on the school and the known pervasiveness of alcohol use among students.</p>

<p>Some of the examples being given here are just nutty. For one thing, this is not murder, this is not terrorism…this is teen drinking. Breathing into a tube and going through a tax audit are incomparable. A slippery slope won’t make the argument different than what it is, either for better or for worse. I also think that this is an issue that needs to be addressed in practical terms. Theorizing and philosophizing about it miss the point, and also risk sending some destructive messages.</p>

<p>In general, I commend schools for making an effort, but I also think that kids who want to drink will find a way to do so. The schools that are focusing on creating a safe, enclosed (preferably alcohol free, in their minds) environment are probably moving along a better track than those that are focusing simply on eliminating all alcohol.</p>

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<p>“Breathing into a tube and going through a tax audit are incomparable. A slippery slope won’t make the argument different than what it is, either for better or for worse.”</p>

<p>I don’t agree with this at all. The fact that some people are casually accepting breathalyzing ALL the students at a prom shows that we have already slid down the slippery slope a substantial distance. Even ten years ago this would have generated much more outrage.
And HGFM, this is coercive because you’re being required to give up your rights in order to obtain something the typical high school strongly wants, access to the prom.</p>