Program focuses on underage drinking, liability
By Kate Daly Contributing Writer

Marlborough - The Marlborough High School (MHS) Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) focused their recent community briefing on destructive decisions by adults as well as by teens.

The March 6 event was one of a series held across the country sponsored by Take It Back, described as a national youth-directed movement to reduce alcohol problems. MHS also sponsored the community briefing.

SADD President Laurelle Whalen and Vice President Charlotte Gill, both seniors, presented much of the program, aided by a video and Powerpoint presentation that informed attendees about the problems of drinking, the extent of the problem, the damage it can cause younger drinkers and more.

They off ered information abut local, state and national drinking by young people, and also outlined the MHS policies against teen drinking. For example, students may be tested for alcohol at any school-sponsored event and could be suspended for up to five days.

The main feature was a presentation by Richard Campbell, of Campbell, Campbell, Edwards and Conroy, a Boston law firm with expertise in social host liability cases. Campbell said he first got involved with social host liability in the 1980s. Since then, many states, including Massachusetts, have established social host liability laws that hold homeowners responsible for underage drinking at their homes, even if they are not there.

"What is happening in this country is a movement, social change," he said. "This is a social movement. It's at its beginning stages."

Campbell listed a series of cases in which parents had allowed children to drink at their homes, thinking that since kids will drink, at least they will be supervised and safe, he said. Yet, he detailed several cases in which teens have died as a result of such parties.

Parents assume they can predict behavior and consequences when they allow underage drinking in their homes, Campbell said, but when you mix teens and alcohol, you cannot predict the outcome.

You can predict some of the problems, though, he said. For example, a parent who is charged with providing alcohol to teens can be charged $2,000 per violation.

"If you have 20 kids at a party, each kid is a theoretically a violation," Campbell said.

That applies to kids drinking at your house, in your boat, your tent, your hotel room, the limousine you rent, he said. You don't have to be an adult to be charged under the law, either.

"The application of similar language in other criminal statutes apply to children as young as 14," Campbell said.

There is civil liability, as well. The victim of an alcohol-related accident in which you provided alcohol to an underage drinker can sue in civil court, and likely will. Campbell called it the $8 million party, citing a case in which the liability was that high.

Last fall, Massachusetts had its first case in which a parent who supplied alcohol to his underage daughter is being charged with manslaughter because one of her friends died as a result. Manslaughter, Campbell said, is charged when "wanton and reckless behavior" results in a death.

Referring to a study done in the Metrowest area, Campbell said, 42 percent of kids had had alcohol in the previous 30 days, and 25 percent had five or more drinks in a row.

"Kids drink to get drunk," he said. "Seven percent of the kids in your community have had unwanted sexual activity because of drinking."

Campbell regularly presents his program "Be a Parent, Not a Pal" to educate about social host liability and the legal ramifications of allowing underage drinking. He also noted that www. socialhost.org supplies free information about social host liability and underage drinking.

Whalen, the MHS SADD president, said she thought the program was a success, although fewer than 30 peo- ple attended.

"I think we're very eff ective," she said.

MHS SADD has a website at www.mhs-sadd.org.

Whalen credited her mother with inspiring her participation in SADD.

"My mom encouraged me to join when I was a freshman," she said.

Gill also had personal reasons.

"I've always really cared about teen drinking," she said. "I don't want to lose one of my classmates because of alcohol." and not to reach for anything on the seat that the officer can't see.

"I don't know you, you don't know me, and it could appear that you're going for a weapon," Jeffrey Reger said. "Don't put yourself in danger - keep your hands where the officer can see them. You can get the license and registration out after the officer has asked for them, while he/she is watching."

The troopers brought along posters with photographs of boot camp and K-9 units. Each student was given a gift from the State Police, including a water bottle, cup, pencils, key chain, car freshener and a brochure describing careers in law enforcement.

Jeffrey Reger's father, Karl Reger, is a Special Needs instructor at AVRTHS and was also invited to attend the presentation.