Is underage drinking a problem for Eden Prairie High School students? The school’s principal says yes, because it is happening. But survey results indicate that prevention curriculum may be having an effect at the middle school level.

Eden Prairie High School was put in the national spotlight for a common issue that came to light in an uncommon way last week: The high school administration received copies of photos of EPHS students possessing or consuming illegal substances – but the photos had been compiled from social networking sites such as Facebook. A total of 13 students were disciplined, which involved suspension from participating in an activity.

About 15 students staged a walkout last Thursday morning at EPHS in protest of that disciplinary action. Local and national news jumped on the issue of whether it was fair to punish students for actions posted on social networking sites.

“Clearly, when something like this happens that gets as much public play as it does, I think it provides everybody, families and school alike, another opportunity to be in conversations with students with the decisions they make around chemical use,” said EPHS principal Conn McCartan, in an interview Monday.

The district’s Prevention Coordinator Michael Stanefski noted that, in regards to this incident, the focus has been on the punishment. The other part that hasn’t been talked about is how to engage the community in talking about underage drinking, he said.

EPHS administration talked to a total of 42 students about the photos, which in a lot of cases showed students with alcohol or consuming alcohol. McCartan noted there were a number of students who weren’t involved in activities but had pictures portraying them in possession of alcohol. In those cases, the school didn’t take any action with the students beyond contacting families to offer support.

Thirteen students did receive some sort of activity suspension. McCartan said they consulted with the Minnesota State High School League before taking disciplinary action. All students who participate in MSHSL sanctioned activities must sign an eligibility statement that says they will “adhere to all of the rules and regulations that pertain to league athletic activities a school may sponsor and that local rules may be more stringent, and penalties more severe, than MSHSL rules.”

In terms of punishing students for what is portrayed in a photograph, McCartan said if they receive something that is as telling as a picture is, and the possibility exists that there is a breach of school rules, “We’re going to take action on that information.”

At the same time, McCartan noted in his original written statement, district officials did not go out looking on social networking sites.

Student opinion on all of this was mixed, as was evident by a number of Facebook pages created in the wake of the scandal: One page was titled “EPHS Has Gone Too Far” Another? “EPHS has not gone too far” (see sidebar).

Nick Laurent, one of the participants in a walkout Thursday morning, said the entire school had turned up in the Commons to see if the students would walk out.

When asked why they were staging the protest, he said it seemed like the loudest thing they could do “to express our displeasure.”

In this situation, it was the extent of the disciplinary action that the students were protesting.

The action in the photos may not be an accurate depiction of who that student is today, Laurent noted.

“This is talking about kids’ futures.”

According to McCartan, the students who participated in the walkout received some form of in-school detention, depending on the students’ past behavior. For this case, “we treated it as an off-campus violation,” he said.

Prevention

McCartan noted that there are a number of people who have made public comments that say kids have been engaged in underage drinking since “way back in the day.”

That’s true, he said, but “at the same time that is true, I think that we need to keep addressing it.

“Those are all decisions that young people make and that families can encourage them to make in ways that are a lot healthier than they may make right now,” he said.

When asked if there is a problem of drinking at EPHS, he said yes.

“Because there’s drinking going on.

“You can’t sit down with any family that struggles with some of the ramifications of kids making those kinds of decisions and not declare that a problem because as long as it’s going on, it’s going to be a problem.”

Stanefski said one way to look at the problem of underage drinking is to consult recent Minnesota Student Survey results.Looking at surveys, as far back as 1995, he noted, “There always seems to be a consistent number of kids who drink.”Is it an epidemic at EPHS? He said, “That doesn’t seem to be the case.”Districts typically compare themselves to the state to see how well they’re doing and Eden Prairie usually has better results than the state average, he said.Eden Prairie has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of sixth- to ninth-grade kids who report drinking alcohol.“Those numbers have gone down dramatically,” he said, noting that it’s a testament to the “very focused prevention curriculum” being used in the middle school grades.So the district is exploring how to enhance what’s being done at those younger grades in some way.Stanefski said the district offers a number of support services for students and families whenever there  is a chemical violation with a student.There is a chemical health education class that’s available for students “and there’s a parent component that goes along with that.”For parents, he said, the key is to communicate both love and expectations to their children. It’s not enough to tell them only once.“I think it’s important for parents to repeat those expectations over and over and over again.”As often as you can talk to them, let them know what your expectations are, he said, “and then how you will continue to love and support them.” Since the issue flared up, McCartan said he’s heard from all kinds of people on this subject.“I heard from people from literally all over the country supporting what we’re doing,” he said.He said the conversations being generated were good, like “How do you portray yourself publicly?” and “What kind of decisions do you make around chemicals?”

McCartan said, “If the ends of those conversations are students taking stock of the decisions they’re making right now, and making what one would hope would be better ones in the future, that’s the good side of a tough situation.”

Click here for links to substance abuse information from Eden Prairie High School.