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Health & Fitness

Prom, Ball and Graduation TIPS

Rushford and the Meriden Healthy Youth Council would like to offer some suggestions that families can use to ensure their teen's safety

With the arrival of spring, high school students across the country are preparing for their junior prom, senior ball and graduation.  Though this is certainly an exciting time in a teen’s life, it can also be a dangerous time.  According to The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, alcohol related car accidents spike during the months of April, May and June each year, coinciding with the peak months for high school proms and graduation parties.  Another nation-wide survey commissioned by Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) showed that 90% of 11th and 12th graders believe that their peers are more likely to drink and drive on prom night than on any other night of the year.  This presents parents with an important opportunity to talk with their teen about the dangers of underage drinking. 

Talk with your teen

By talking to your child, you reduce their risk of partaking in underage drinking and risky behaviors.  Surveys show that 68% of teens list their parents as the NUMBER ONE influence on their decisions surrounding drinking, and teenagers who have open communication with their parents are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. 

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Key facts 

This prom season, Rushford and the Meriden Healthy Youth Council would like to remind parents of some key underage drinking facts, and offer some suggestions that families can use to ensure their teen’s safety: 

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  1. Parents should know that it is illegal to knowingly allow or host a party where alcohol is consumed by minors, regardless of whether it is on private or public property. 
  2. Connecticut law states that anyone who provides alcohol to minors may be fined, imprisoned, or both. 
  3. The law holds both adults and minors accountable for incidents involving underage drinking.Your children’s high school years should be filled with positive experiences and fond memories, but if your child breaks the law, or if you ignore the law and host an underage drinking party, your actions can ruin more than just one night of fun; your decision can result in trouble that with haunt you for years to come.

 Tip Line

To protect the children, teens and families in Meriden, the Meriden Healthy Youth Council has worked with the Meriden Police to create and implement a TIP line that can be used to either report a crime such as an underage drinking party, or can be used as a call for help if teens find themselves in an unsafe situation.  If you know of an underage drinking party, other illegal activity or if you need help, text or e-mail The Meriden Tip Line @ mpdtips@ci.meriden.ct.us

As long as you have the ability to 'text' you don't need email access on your mobile phone. You can text to an email address from any phone with text capability. Create a contact name, whatever you would like to name this contact, with the email address mpdtips@ci.meriden.ct.us .   When you create a new Tip message you select the contact that has the email address, create the message and send it. 

Please help to keep ALL of our kids safe by acknowledging that underage drinking parties are unsafe and are against the law.  To learn more about the problem of underage drinking, get the facts at www.rushford.org or www.settherulesct.org.  To get involved with the Meriden Healthy Youth Council, call Sheryl Sprague at 203-630-5357

 

 

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