Almost an entire girls soccer squad was suspended from their team at a Massachusetts high school for drinking after they were caught partying at the home of a local police chief.
Sixteen varsity girls soccer team members at Pentucket Regional High School in West Newbury are suspended for four games because of this, and the district says it hopes this sends a message.
Superintendent of Schools, Jeff Mulqueen, said in a statement that an anonymous report to the school's administration led to an investigation about a potential violation of the Chemical Health Policy.
"Pentucket Regional School District considers any violation of the Chemical Health Policy a serious matter," Mulqueen said in a statement. "School officials are working closely with students and families through these difficult circumstances."
Mulqueen says the anonymous report contained a photo of varsity girls soccer players drinking last Saturday night at the home of Boxbord Police Chief James Riter, whose daughter plays on Pentucket's team.
Riter says his daughter's teammates were over for a sleepover after a game, but he and his wife say they didn't know whta was taking place out of sight.
In a statement, Riter said, "At some point and time when they were upstairs, someone opened a bottle of vodka, which may have been bought by one of the student's parents. Someone took a picture and it got back to the school. Now, they'll have to pay the price."
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Parents of Pentucket students seem to support the four game suspension the players were given, which is a punishment dictated by their athletic association's rules.
The school district adds they've forwarded information about the alcohol possibly being provided by a parent to Groveland police, which is now looking into it
