Lessons aren’t learned after Orinda teen dies
Posted on 23. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in parenting
Did you know that if there’s underage drinking at your house, you’re liable even if you don’t know about it or aren’t home? And that if the kids paid to attend the party, you’re in even more trouble?
Those were some of the points brought up by Will Moffitt at our September PTSA meeting, and those points are driven home in the lead article in today’s LA Times article, “A teen party, a mysterious death — and a town’s unanswered grief,” about a teen boy in Orinda who died after drinking beer at a party he paid to attend at a home where the parents weren’t present. It’s a very sad story, and could easily happen in our fair city. My heart goes out to everyone involved.
Two points in the article particularly struck me. The first was this paragraph:
Giving underage drinkers immunity from prosecution for calling 911 might encourage them to summon help, Klingman said. Many colleges and at least two states, Colorado and New Jersey, provide immunity as a way to prevent alcohol-related deaths.
I LOVE this idea. Kids see all sorts of dangerous things, but are often afraid to tell because they don’t want to get in trouble or be branded as “tattletales.” Take away the disincentives. If something dangerous is happening, they shouldn’t be afraid to seek help.
The second was this statement by the Orinda Chief of Police:
“Apparently someone dying at a party has not affected their partying,” he said. But he added that some teens do go to parties and abstain. The answer may lie in finding out why, he said.
It’s sad that this hasn’t affected teen partying practices. If it had, at least some good would have come of this tragedy, much like it did when Crescenta Valley high school formed its Prom Plus event after one of their students was shot.
I was particularly intrigued by the second part of his statement, where he thinks the answer to changing the partying culture may be found by figuring out why some teens who attend parties choose to abstain. It’s like studying someone with the HIV virus who doesn’t get AIDS: find out what makes them immune to it, and see if you can replicate it in others.
Has anyone ever tried this? Lately? Here?
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