Prom for students at one Massachusetts high school might come with a new twist this year, as school officials are considering whether to authorize administrators to test students for the use of alcohol at dances and other major school events.
Dracut Superintendent Steven Stone proposed the policy to committee members Monday night.
"I think every year at every prom there's a chance students try to sneak in alcohol or maybe try to ingest alcohol before the prom," Stone said. "This is about students being safe at school events and as the administration has the ability to utilize a tool like a breath alcohol test, we believe it's in the best interest of the school system to take it on," Stone said.
The test would be overseen by an administrator, witnessed by a staff member and require students to exhale into the device.
A Dracut High School graduate with whom NBC10 Boston spoke, agreed with the proposed plan.
"Drinking and driving, especially kids that are still in high school, it's outrageous," said Ross Pary.
Students who test positive can request additional tests taken at least two minutes apart. If a student suspected of drinking refuses to take the test, they'd have to be picked up by a parent, then disciplined in accordance with the student handbook.
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Parents, like Denise Davis thinks it's a policy that will help ensure students are safe.
"I think that if someone was to decline that they would automatically be saying that they were guilty," she said. "Why would they decline if they weren't drinking?"
School board members will meet on Feb. 12 to vote on whether they'll implement the proposal as a policy going forward.
