Does your teen know where you stand?

Dear Parents,

As a community, we are united in caring about the safety and wellbeing of our students. We are about to enter a time of celebrations: prom, graduation parties, and other summer celebrations. While many students will make good decisions, some of these activities may contain the risk of harmful behavior, including drug or alcohol use.

We all want these celebrations to be a safe, healthy and fun experience for students. As parents, you have the power to influence your teen to celebrate without using drugs and alcohol. There are many things you can do to ensure your teen is celebrating safely:

. Know where your teen is and who they’re with. Have them check in with you when they are out. Develop a plan with your teen about what to do if they find themselves in an unsafe or uncomfortable situation. Talk with your teen about your expectations for them not to use alcohol. Establish clear rules and consequences, make sure your teen knows your rules, and follow through with the consequences if the rules are broken.

. Refuse to supply alcohol to underage youth as you host your own celebrations. Buying alcohol for other people’s children is illegal. It also undermines other parents who don’t want their teen to engage in this risky behavior.

. Make sure that alcohol is not available to teens at other events your teens will be attending. Talk to other parents and party hosts to ensure alcohol is not accessible for the teens in attendance.

. Respect the laws and the consequences of providing alcohol or other drugs. As a parent, you are legally responsible for anything that happens to a minor who has been served alcohol or other drugs in your home or on your property.

Remember, as parents, you play an important role in preventing teen alcohol use during these celebrations. Teens say one of their top reasons for not drinking alcohol is the knowledge that their parents would be upset with them if they did. Does your teen know where you stand?

We are thankful that so many parents support a strong school and community. Please join us in making all celebrations and events safe for our teens.

Pat Eliasen, Sheriff
Adam Nelson, MS/HS Principal
School Community Action Team