School Board Considers Alcohol Wands
The first reading on a proposed policy on alcohol sensor devices used to detect underage drinking was heard last night at a special Teton County School District Workshop. At the request of parents, the Teton County School Board has been drafting a new policy involving alcohol wands to be used at school dances and other school sponsored events. The wands would be used to sense alcohol that is present in the air several inches from a student. The proposed policy outlined some general provisions including that the devices may be used as a condition of participation at certain school functions, particularly school dances, and that law enforcement may be called if a student who refuses to participate in a screening exhibits other signs of alcohol use. Only a handful of parents approached the podium during the public comment period but all were in support of the proposed policy. School board member Paul D’amours was the only person to voice doubts about the proposed policy during the workshop. He worried that students might turn to other drugs not detectable by the alcohol wand and that the policy only addressed alcohol use at school related events. The proposed policy will be an agenda item during the Teton County School Board’s meeting Wednesday, January 11th.
