Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Marshall schools to take deputy to the prom

The Marshall Public Schools is among only three school districts countywide that have so far accepted an offer by the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office to have a deputy go to the prom in an effort to curb underage drinking, according to Capt. Matt Saxton of the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office.
"We have a grant from the Office of Highway Safety Planning to put a deputy at the prom," said Saxton. "We sent the invitation out to all the superintendents."
Joining Marshall so far in taking advantage of the offer are Homer and Pennfield public schools but time is running out.
"The sooner (they let us know) the better," said Saxton.
Marshall's prom takes place May 3 at the Medalist and is among the first in the county.
The deputy's presence will help in spotting kids who have been drinking, who might be trying to sneak alcohol into the dance and can even pick up on after prom drinking parties, said Saxton.
See the Saturday Chronicle for more on this story and on a press conference planned for today on how officials countywide are working to protect teens from the dangers of alcohol this prom and graduation season.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think it is a great idea to have this happen because with the new location of the event, there is not going to be the amount of security that is necessary to pull off the event successfully. Being in a tent, there will be a lot of easy access points that are unsecured for students to bring in alcohol. This should have been considered when the class sponsor decided to change the location from the Federal Center to the golf course. It is a shame that something so important, such as the safety of our children at a school event, is looked over when such a decision is being made. I know that I would not be comfortable allowing my child to go to such a thrown together event.