Published: November 14, 2008 10:49 pm            

DCHS officials: Breathalyzer doing its job

Alcohol detector working through prevention

EDMOND — Last spring Deer Creek High School purchased a breathalyzer to be used if necessary during school activities, and it seems to be doing its job even though it hasn’t been put to work.

Following the lead of Texas schools, Co-Principal Keith Sinor said, “We purchased the breathalyzer as a deterrent for our students. We wanted them to think about drinking before getting behind the wheel and attending an activity.

“We are always concerned about our students’ well being and we hope that the breathalyzer will be a deterrent to underage drinking and the consequences that could result from those actions.”

The high school’s co-principals are in charge of administering the breathalyzer test. And although the $800 purchase has not been used yet, Co-Principal Charles Carpenter said it goes to every activity the school has including sporting events and dances.

A breathalyzer test may be administered to any student suspected of being under the influence of alcohol.

Parents were made aware of the purchase through a letter last spring explaining to them why the breathalyzer had been purchased. Since then the district’s Web site has been updated including the information.

“The district’s overall goal is to make sure students make good choices,” said personnel director Lenis DeRieux Winkler.

“We actually think it is doing what it was intended to do,” Sinor said.

THE DETAILS

by the numbers

Statistics show that underage drinking is widespread in Oklahoma. About 155,000 underage youth in Oklahoma drink each year. Underage drinking cost the residents of Oklahoma $778 million in 2005.

In 2005, according to self-reports by Oklahoma students in grades 9-12:

77 percent had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more days during their life.

25 percent had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips, before age 13.

41 percent had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more occasions in the past 30 days.

27 percent had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (i.e. binge drinking) in the past 30 days.

4 percent had at least one drink of alcohol on school property on one or more of the past 30 days.

In 2005 underage drinkers consumed 16.4 percent of all alcohol sold in Oklahoma, totaling $200 million in sales.

source: the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), October 2006

FOR MORE information on underage drinking prevention, go to www.odmhsas.org/Prevention/Underage_Drinking.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.