ORCHARD PARK SCHOOLS
Orchard Park board considers parent training
Orchard Park Central High School may join a growing number of schools requiring parents to attend a drug and alcohol information session before their children can attend school dances.
After hearing from administrators from Lake Shore Central School District, which has required parental education the past two years, the Orchard Park School Board told its superintendent to create a task force to look at the issue.
“The board is concerned about this,” President Donald Sniezak said.
Lake Shore Superintendent Jeff Rabey and high school Principal Terry Redman explained the program they pioneered in 2005, after a student died while attending an underage drinking party.
His mother, Janice Struebel, brought the issue to the school district and attended Tuesday’s meeting in Orchard Park as well.
“Mrs. Struebel was the one who got us thinking, ‘Enough is enough,’ ” Redman said.
The purpose of the sessions is to increase parental knowledge of the legal issues involved in providing alcohol to those younger than 21, as well as the signs and symptoms of abuse.
The issue came front and center in Orchard Park after last spring’s prom, when dozens of students were caught at a party. The owners of the house were charged with unlawfully dealing with a child.
The district did not punish the students because the school’s code of conduct does not address off-campus, nonschool events. But under Lake Shore’s policy, athletes and students in extracurricular activities are suspended from those activities if they are caught with alcohol.
This year, students will be required to leave parties immediately if there is alcohol served, or risk being punished, Redman said.
Redman and Rabey said they have developed a close relationship with local police.
“When there is a party over the weekend, we do get the names Monday morning,” Rabey said.
Redman said he could not tell if the parties have declined, but there have been fewer instances of students showing up to school activities under the influence.
Lake Shore also has broad community support for the program, which has brought 1,100, or 91 percent of parents, through the doors. Citizens for Responsible Choices was formed and helped push the issue, as well as churches, police and parents. The programs are given by Western New York United Against and the Erie County Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
Also Tuesday night, the parents of four veteran cheerleaders who did not make this year’s team complained to the board that their daughters were not fairly evaluated. They complained the tryout did not include a set of skills evaluated by a group of judges. Parents said five seniors and one junior were cut during tryouts last week, including a former captain and girls who had received numerous awards.
Jennifer Seeger, one of the seniors who was cut, said she was looking forward to pep rallies, homecoming and cheering for the Quakers.
“These memories have been taken from me,” she said, “I worked hard, but was not treated fairly.”
The board president said the administration would look into the matter, and report back to the board.
