School balls are meant to be one of the highlights of your teenagers’ senior years at school. Unfortunately they can also be a huge headache for parents and schools – not because of the events themselves, but because of the popularity of after-ball parties and the controversy surrounding serving alcohol to under 18s.
While the actual balls are usually well-run, alcohol-free events, the parties that follow can be a different story. Over the last few years, there have been cases of parties being closed down by police because of underage drinking.
In the past, police have sent letters to schools in the Auckland region asking them to make it clear to students and staff that events where tickets are sold and alcohol served to under 18-year-olds are illegal.
The reminders came after several years of trouble with after-balls. Schools had already started taking action themselves. Rangitoto College on Auckland’s North Shore cancelled its 2010 school ball after an after-ball event the previous year. The schools don’t have anything to do with the parties, which are organised by the students themselves or sometimes their parents. There are also some event-planning companies that specialise in after-ball parties.
But even though a school won’t have been involved in planning a party, if anything goes wrong, it reflects badly on the school. Some principals and boards of trustees have sent letters to parents asking them not to organise after-ball events and made it clear they’re against the idea of any sort of function. However, some parents do arrange them because they say it gives them some form of control.
Auckland mum Trish Nelson, who along with several other parents organised an after-ball function during her daughter Jess’ last year at school, says, “They would have had a party with or without us, and this way we got to know what was going on and who would be there. It was by invitation only and no alcohol was sold. Some of the students who were 18 brought their own drink but everyone was well-behaved and we had no trouble. However, I have heard of parties where things have got out of hand because the kids have been so drunk.”
Many parents also throw pre-ball gatherings for their teens and their friends. While legally your under 18-year-old is allowed to drink alcohol if you are there, the last thing schools want is students turning up to the alcohol-free balls drunk, and they warn parents that pre-ball functions should not be used as an opportunity to let your child knock back the booze.
Some schools now breathalyse students as they arrive to make sure they haven’t been drinking. Anyone who has may be denied entry.
What the law says…
It’s illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase alcohol, and for anyone other than a parent or guardian to supply alcohol to under 18s, unless it’s a private social gathering. The alcohol also has to be supplied in a responsible manner. Supplying minors with alcohol at after-ball events is deemed illegal.
Take a look at this article about talking to teenagers about sex here.
Image: Alana Landsberry/ bauersyndication.com.au
