Tuesday, November 09, 2004

...As the Stomach turns...

Well, we got a lovely packet of papers today from the parents grad planning committee.


Permit me to vent.


Page one, a letter of introduction and description of our main goal, "... to make it (graduation celebration) a safe environment."


Sounds like a good plan!


Page two begins with a paragraph stating in many words that parent groups throughout the past have decided this was a good direction to take, thus we should too.


Paragraph two states the legalities of a "Safe Grad" (By Safe Grad, they mean we contain the kids and give them booze and let em go.)


"... to serve alcohol to any individual under the age of 19 years in the Province of Saskatchewan is illegal. Therefore, we as a committee, parents or guardians could be held liable. In our opinion and after extensive research it has become apparent that there is no easy choice in deciding on a safe graduation. Society today is very clear in it's definition of safe grads. NO ALCOHOL, NO DRUGS, CHEMICAL FREE. UNFORTUNATELY, SOMEONE FORGOT TO TELL THE KIDS THAT!"


"Essentially what safe means from a parent perspective is CONTROL and how do we obtain it."


So, our goal is to create a safe party, it's been done this way for years, yes it's illegal, but the risk to parents is minimal, society doesn't understand the safe grad idea, and we need to gain control over our kids, in some way.


Then follows four full pages of data on the physiological effects of over drinking.


Sigh.


The plan is to take the kids to a farm, hire prison guards, give them drinking tickets, and let them go.


If we spent the same time and energy "controlling the kids" without the booze, as they plan on doing with booze, I think it could be a really cool night!


And, we spend four pages speaking of the pain and brokenness of alcohol, then we arrange for them to have it, illegally!


And the final nail in the coffin? The local "secular" school runs a chemfree grad.


Now, I'm not so silly as to think that Catholics/Christians don't drink, or struggle, just as I'm not silly enough to think that the other school has a wonderful grad, with no problems. But we as a School that allows for the existence of the human soul, and God,  really shouldn't be taking a back moral seat to a school in which those things are less celebrated.


And for me, that isn't the struggle anyway. I'm more fizzed off by the apparent lack of parental integrity in the whole process.


I think a letter is in the works.


End of Rant.


 

5 comments:

  1. Randall - I pray that your letter will have more impact than mere words should be capable of. This seems completely farcical, that they should point out the illeagality and then go ahead anyway. It's not even as if they're turning a blind eye!



    Out of interest, what does your daughter think?

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  2. Here in Turlock, I've heard stories of parents giving their children hard drugs (.i.e, meth) just to make sure that their kids drug supply is clean and untainted.



    There going to do drugs anyway, right?



    Its amazing how blind we can be. It really is.

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  3. Yikes, two years and I'm there. Way to go Dad for stepping up before I have to. My grad was a so-called safe grad which meant the bar closed at 11:00 p.m. and after that kids drank off any table FULL of booze since the bar had been emptied before 11:00 p.m. So much for that. It just doesn't work.



    Sounds like the planners this year still want to "control" with guards and such but add alcohol. A bit harder to control than a Chem-free party? You betcha.

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  4. Isn't it hypocritical for law enforcement to get paid to supervise people breaking the law and not do anything about it? I didn't know these parents were as powerful as the mafia.



    Isn't there some sort of law against conspiracy to commit a crime? If so, couldn't the parents who promote this party be fined or arrested? What parent would be willing to pay a $500 fine or spend a week in jail so that their kid can have alcohol at the grad?

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  5. I suppose Clinton points out the obvious way to put an end to the stupidity. Not without significant consequences though.

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