KIN, NOT COPS, KEEP KIDS SOBER

ENGLEWOOD - Students at Englewood High School, if caught drinking, are more
fearful of being punished by their parents than by police or school
officials, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Most students said they found it easy to obtain alcohol outside the home
and the best deterrent to drinking was having their driver's licenses taken
away.

"Parents have to start taking responsibility about (their children's)
drinking and taking drugs," said Mary Dounay, chairwoman of the Englewood
school board and co-

chairwoman of the Englewood Teenage Drinking Task Force. "They have the
number one influence on their children."

Tuesday, the task force released the results of an April survey of
Englewood High students' attitudes about, and usage of, drugs and alcohol.
At the same time, the task force announced a poster and e-mail campaign to
urge students not to drink.

The posters will be placed in the school, as well as businesses, churches
and recreation centers.

"We wanted to do positive reinforcement," Dounay said. "The idea is that if
you want to be part of the 'in' crowd, you don't have to drink."

The task force was formed after two students were killed and one other
injured in an alcohol-related car accident June 3, 2001. The driver,
Christian Workman, later pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and was
sentenced to 14 years in prison.

The task force's survey included 649 students - about 70 percent of the
students.

"There was the perception that 90 percent of Englewood High School students
were drinking every weekend," Dounay said.

But the study showed that Englewood High students were drinking and using
drugs at a rate below the national average, and far fewer were binge drinkers.

The study's findings included:

. 71 percent of students reported having used alcohol (the national average
is 73 percent)

. 63 percent reported not having consumed alcohol in the past 30 days
(national average is 50 percent)

. 58 percent reported having been drunk at least once

. 63 percent indicated it was easy or very easy to purchase alcohol

What surprised Dounay and the task force members was that 46 percent of the
students thought their parents would be tougher on them if they were caught
drinking than police (19 percent) or school officials (10 percent).

"Parents have to regain their role as authority figures," Dounay said.

Still, others can do something as well.

Englewood High implemented a new policy on athletes and drinking this year.
If they are caught drinking, student athletes can be barred from playing
for as much as the rest of the school year, depending on how many
infractions they get.

So far, there has been no one disciplined under the new policy, said
Principal Rob Barrows.