Mourners gather around the site of the crash that killed five Oswego teenagers on Route 31 in Oswego last year.
BY DAVE PARRO AND MIKE CETERA
What has changed in the year since the Oswego crash? Has the community found any new effective solutions to the problem of teen drinking? Where do we go from here?
Join us at 8 p.m. tonight if you have answers to any of those questions or have questions of your own. In an effort to start a new conversation about teen drinking on the one-year anniversary of the Oswego crash, we'll be hosting a virtual town-hall meeting to get the discussion started.
A number of experts from across the state will participate, but this online session will really be about the community. We want to hear from you about the events of a year ago, what has (or hasn't) changed and where the solutions might lie.
Here's how it's going to work: This post will serve as the forum, with the interaction taking place in the comments section below. If you have a question or opinion, post it.
The experts will be on hand to respond to questions or give insight, but we want the community to lead this discussion. If you have ideas, bring them. If you have questions, ask them. The ones we don't get to tonight the experts will try to answer in the days ahead.
Keep in mind that the goal here is to act as the catalyst for a communitywide intiative to combat underage drinking. For some background, read Sunday's story in The Beacon News about successful programs elsewhere. Also take a look at Sunday's blog post for stories from the past year and more information on the Operation STAAT program in Hinsdale.
Here's a list of the experts scheduled to participate:
- Sara Moscato Howe, CEO of IL Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA), a statewide organization representing more than 50 agencies providing substance-abuse prevention, treatment and recovery support services.
- Shelly Musser, special projects coordinator at IADDA.
- Angela Halvorson, of TopLine Professional Strategies, a consultant to IADDA.
- Keith Kuhn, community director of Gateway Foundation, which provides drug and alcohol-abuse treatment in community-based and corrections settings for people without financial resources.
- Dana Aikens, clinical supervisor at South Suburban Council on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse, which provides affordable and effective chemical-dependency treatment and rehabilitation.
- Devin Bates, prevention specialist with the Education Service Network, which is dedicated to strengthening families, schools and communities.
- Dr. Janet Stutz, principal of Bednarcik Junior High School in Oswego.
Our panel of experts put together an opening statement to kick things off:
Underage drinking continues to be a serious issue that impacts the lives of everyone in the community—youth, parents, business owners, teachers, and others. When the life of a young person is tragically cut short as a result of underage drinking, no one in the community is immune from the emotional and mental pain that results. Despite the pain and loss of life, adults often still fail to take seriously the issue of underage drinking. Contrary to the belief of many adults, underage drinking is not “just something that kids do,” “it is not a right of passage to adulthood,” nor is it an unalterable fact of life. It is possible, and is a responsibility of communities, to educate youth and adults about the dangers of underage drinking, to enforce underage drinking laws, and to ensure that youth, our communities’ most precious resource, reach adulthood.However, despite a community’s best efforts to protect and educate youth and adults, there remains a constant barrage of marketing and products developed by the alcohol industry aimed at enticing young people to drink. One such effort is the industry’s production and sale of alcopops. Alcopops are sweet or fruity tasting malt-based beverages from which the beer or malt flavor has been removed and replaced with flavoring to make it more palatable to young, uninitiated drinkers. In some instances, the majority of the flavoring used in alcopops comes from hard liquor. Despite this fact, these beverages are still sold as malt-beverages, allowing them to be placed in convenience stores where youth have easy access to them.
Another industry effort to market alcoholic drinks to youth are alcoholic energy drinks. Also classified as alcopops, prepackaged alcoholic energy drinks hit the market in the last few years, capitalizing on the overwhelming increase in consumption of their non-alcoholic counterparts. (Red Bull perhaps being the most well-known non-alcoholic version.) The primary consumers of alcoholic energy drinks are youth ages 12-18, the same population consuming their non-alcoholic counterparts. Increased rates of youth consumption of alcoholic energy drinks can be partially attributed to their deceptive labeling. In many cases, the alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions look virtually identical to law enforcement, sales clerks, parents and others who may mistake these beverages as non-alcoholic. Be aware of these deceptive look-alikes and take stock of their prevalence in your community.
Tonight’s discussion will provide an opportunity for community members to ask questions of a panel of experts in the substance abuse prevention and treatment field. They can answer questions related to underage drinking, alcoholic energy drinks, and other “kid-friendly” alcoholic drinks marketed by the industry, treatment and other questions related to this very important issue.
We'll begin in a few minutes. The forum will be hosted in the comments section below.
When kids drink, the chances for trouble are great. But teenagers want to rebel and there is peer pressure to drink. How can we create a culture so that kids don't want to drink?
How can we get parents of high school kids to realize the importance of true responsibility?
I think the thing that bugs me the most is that these children died because they were afraid to tell the parents the truth of what where we were going. I think this makes it so important for us to talk to other parents to colaborate stories our children are telling us.
FROM MIKE CETERA:
Welcome. Our experts are here and will begin answering questions shortly.
We are monitoring this site tonight for House Republican Leader Tom Cross who unfortunately has another obligation. Tom has a very concerned interest in tonight's forum and will be reviewing the blog tomorrow for ideas to consider legislatively.
Erika Wurst says: Hope everyone gets as much out of this as we're hoping to...
i like how the beacon blames it all on teens yes the teens where drinking but in the end who was the one who was drinking and driving the adult if it wasnt for the unresponsible adult the crash would have never happened stop blaming the teens because teens are gonna do what the have done for generations teens are gonna be teens its you the adults who need to recognize that it starts with you the adults that you guys set the examples its easy to put the blame on someone else when are all of you gonna recognize and stop being selfish and realize its the adults and not the teens so if u really wanna change something stop putting the blame on them and put it on you besides if the adult that night would of set the right example what kind of adult who has two of her own kids packs a car full of kids that are not hers while she has doulbe the legal limit in her i ask you that?
Sara Moscato Howe responds: In terms of creating a culture where kids do not want to drink, this is a partnership between parents and students, supporting positive social norms that clearly define what is acceptable behavior among our youth. Parents need to speak up about their beliefs that underage drinking is unacceptable. A positive, drug-free environment starts in the home.
Sara Moscato Howe responds: We are very appreciative of Minority Leader Cross' interest in this important issue and welcome your feedback and suggestions for future legislation.
my boyfriend was talking, and he said he would get yelled at if he posted, but the thing that makes him most mad is that kids who ARE going to drink, are too afraid to call home. We all understand that it is something "most" teens will face (regardless of what some parents think) and being open-minded about the situation lets kids decide for themselves the decisions they will make...
When are the Oswego police going to step up and bust these parties that contune to happen every weekend?
Dana Aikens responds: All choices have potential benefits or consequences. Every choice that a person makes can have a negative or positive impact on your future. When making a decision, we suggest asking yourself three questions:
1 - Is there harm or danger involved?
2 - Is it worth it?
3 - What would the people who love you think about the decision you are about to make?
It has to start with the parents of teenagers. Why do parents feel that they have to entertain their kids by letting them serv alcohol at home parties saying they won't let the kids dive if they drink. It not only is breaking the law, it can be deadly. Whoever supplied the alcohol must be made accountable. Whoever supplied the alcohol last Feb. was never charged. The community should ask the police chief and states attorney why not. The kids that survived should not have been given a pass. Yes, they went through a lot, but I think the very least punishment should have been community service. Open discussion should go on in school from jr. high on up. When I was growing up in the 60's we had a
couple of dance halls that we could go to on Friday night.
I don't think the beacon is blaming it on teens at all.I think this is an outreach to the adults and leaders of the community to "step up" and have a conversation about the issue. think that everyone was a kid once,whether perfect or not, and that getting yelled at by mom and dad should not be as life-threatening to kids as getting in a car with someone who has been drinking when in dire need. food for thought.
FROM MIKE CETERA:
This was posted on another blog entry. But it's certainly appropriate here --
I am a grandmother of a 15 year old freshman at Oswego High School, and I along with their have told him that if he is ever in a situation where he is somewhere he is not supposed to be to call us no matter what time and we will pick him up. I understand that some of the teens last year were not where they were supposed to be for the evening and when it came time to go home they needed a ride home. Why did they get into the car with that young lady? I understand that she had a sister that was at the party and that she came to pick up her sister. Yet her sister did not get into the car, but all the rest of the kids did.
Maybe we should start a program where the kids can call someone to take them home if they need a ride. I am not saying we expect that they are drinking, but we have to be realistic and know that these kids are under a lot of peer pressure, moreso that I ever was at that age. Come on lets put our heads together and try to help these kids out for their sake and for ours.
Dr. Stutz responds: Currently the Oswego police Department participates in the STATT program in which parents can contact the Oswego Police and police will come to visit with the purpose of working with the parents and teen to place the teen in treatment.
I think more parents that not only supply, but the ones who own the home where the party is being held should also face some kind of punnishment. they havent said anything that has happened to the people who had the home where the party was held. they just keep showing the pictures of the house.
Big Brother, I think your anger is very misplaced. Yes, adults do need to set examples, but there are several positive adult role models even outside the home. There is a double fault in this situation, your correct, but no one told those kids they had to get in the car, they CHOSE to get in the car even with someone who was drinking because they made a CHOICE to LIE to thier parents and didn't think the entire night thru as to how they would get home or where they would stay. Unfortunately because they didn't have a place to go they made a bad choice to get in the car. I agree the driver is at fault, making a really BAD choice to allow young kids to get in when she was drinking also.
I don't think this should be about blame on teens or adults....
A simple example of this is just because a parent smokes doesn't mean a kid has to smoke, I set several good examples for my teens, they have a choice to mimick the good and the bad.
Perhaps it is wrong to blame the teenagers as suggested by a teen. I recognize that teens will make mistakes as we did in our teen years. A responsible adult solution may be to use the Residential Trespass Agreement that is available from the Kendall County Sheriff's Department. The basic answer is to create a fear for teenagers that the party can be busted by an officer who has approval from the resident adults for entry, investigation, and arrest of any person breaking the law at a home. Serious adult neighbors frequently can see what is happening in their neighborhood and reports will help our police keep children from harming themselves, us, and friends.
Keith Kuhn responds: Most parents would rather their teen call a cab, a friend, or use some other safe alternative rather than get behind the wheel intoxicated.
We as adults show are kids right from wrong. But it takes an entire community to raise these kids. WE all need to step up and alert the authorites of any and all parties. We have called numerous times to report such activity and it still contunies to happen. Our persistance will prevail over this laided back attutude by our police chief and town leaders have. We are all worried about the empty schools we built and not the future of these students who will attend them.e a community MUST SAY ENOUGH!
What this all comes down to is communication and trust between teens and parents. I think we have to stop living like ostrichs and get our heads out of the sand. Kids are going to drink, I apologize but it is the hard truth. The difference is educating the kids. We can teach until we are blue in the face not to drink and drive, but it is not working. We can try to prevent by having harder rules/laws but it doesn't work, if it did then how come we had 22 more arrests 6 months after the accident? What we have to do is be proactive and explain to them that you know they are going to "experiment" and try things. What we have to do is open the communication and let them know that they should be able to tell is what they are going to do, feel comfortable to call their parents at odd hours of the night to pick them up. What it comes down to is an understanding and sense of feeling comfortable to tell your parents you are going to drink and may need a ride home or stay at a persons house. I truly belief any one who was affected by the accident would do situations differently...I feel the parents would rather have wanted a call from their kids that night than to have to deal with the outcome they had.
Think about this for a minute before you get upset, we have been "preaching" abstinence for years but it is not working, kids are still having sex. Just checking myspace confirms this because many of the teens on there are saying they are pregnant. Why is this? Again all we practice is abstinence and not protection.
Keep in mind the more you tell teens no, the more appealing something is. Great example telling a child to stay away from the cookie jar, all the kid thinks about is the cookie in the jar and how to get it!
Angela Halvorson responds: It isn’t about blaming anyone. What is important is that both youth and adults recognize that this is a problem that can only be solved when youth and adults work together to address this issue. Everyone in the community is affected when there is a loss of life or even severe injuries. Both adults and youth should set the example and accept responsibility for their actions. When something like the Oswego accident affects a community, it is easy to point fingers and look for somewhere to place blame. This doesn’t resolve the issue and will not keep youth and adults safe in the future. Instead working together to resolve the problems is what will help prevent terrible accidents like this from happening. Being open and honest about the issue is also important. Underage drinking is not easy for adults or youth to talk about, but not talk about it will allow the issue to continue.
Bill Small, what is a Residential trespass agreement?
I remember when I was back in high school, the school distributed a contract that was supposed to be signed by the parent and child. The contract was regarding alcohol consumption by minors. The contract had a number of points, however the one I remember was that the parent agreed to pick up the child if the child called needing transportation because the child had been drinking. The parent further agreed that he/she would not discuss the incident with the child until the next day. Do they still have those "contracts?" At the very least, I remember it was an easy way to open up a discussion about underage drinking between parents and their children.
Hey Kathy Whelan do you believe that community service is the answer? These surviors have had to learn to rewalk and care for them selves like they where babies again. Until you have walked a mile in their shoes let us not stand on the side on the road and judge. Maybe getting out and seeing these kids after this crash would have changed your mind. And possiably given you a HEART! My God Bless you soul.
Keith Kuhn responds: It is important for parents to assist teens with being able to make informed decisions, as previously mentioned. Weighing cost and benefit is important and applies to theuse of alcohol as well. Honest conversations need to occur between parents and teens because we know scare tactics don't work well.
I believe that before anyone points fingers they better have their facts straight.So the best question that i have for the finger pointers is since the terrible accident what have you done to help the youth in our town? Lets be positive and move forward and get involved!
The hard truth is NOT that kids are going to drink. Rather, that is the perception that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Social norms statistics prove that fact. The question that should be asked is "why are kids drinking? Why do they feel the need to include alcohol and intoxication as a part of their social entertainment?" In the answer to that question, lies the resolution to the problem. Drinking is not a right of passage to adulthood nor is it just something that they are all going to do.
For the experts, How would you suggest parents go about talking to other parents who allow drinking to go on at their houses? How do you get parents on the same page, when some feel it's okay to have their teens drink and other parents may not?
TEENS: IF YOU'RE ON HERE
Okay, good point to recall is that EVERYONE on this blog has done something they weren't supposed to once upon a time...the thing is, we are here to write about it. These five kids aren't. What we have to do is imagine what they would be saying right now, and that is, "I wish I would have called my Mom." "I wish that I would have just thrown in the towel and called home." But they can't say that...so to every one of you that does go out, gets tipsy, and needs a ride, JUST CALL. Being grounded for a week will save your family and community from turmoil, and will make yout think twice about getting into the same situation.
I have a question for the panel, I'd like each of your thoughts... I am very good at communitcating with my kids, I think they would probably call me even if they would get in trouble, at least now, because we have talked about this so much. Sadly, there are parents out there who unfortunately really don't spend time with their kids talking about this or the kids would suffer greatly with physical abuse if they were caught... So in that case panel, if you receive a call from a childs friend that they are drunk and need a ride, they say they can't call home, do you recommend that we pick them up with the provision that in the morning "we" will go talk to the parents?
Keith Kuhn Comments: Alex, I would go and pick up that teen without the provision of talking to the parents, but would encourage them to agree to that while on the way home. Why? That teen is already intoxicated and public safety is now the primary responsibility.
Until we prove to these kids that all the laws are for everyone we haven't drawn a line in the sand. These kids here about how this person whose knows someone can get them out of this or that because he or she knows someone, sends them the signal that why don't I try my chances. Our society has two sets of laws for those on the in, and those not. When they here about how things can be taken care of, then the chance of beating the system will always be challenged. Just after the tragic event in Oswego one of the Fire Chiefs was in the paper for D.W.I. in Dekalb county. I guess you can tell what happened to that one. He's still a Chief. And I bet it got swept right under the rug. One of Oswegos police men had a problem years ago and Chief Baird got rid of him which was the right thing to do. Once again we teach the old saying, do as I say, and not what I do.
As part of the Safe Homes project, parents sign a pledge that they will not tolerate drinking in their homes. The names of the parents are shared as part of a parent network so the parents can commuicate, provide support to one another, and monitor the behavior of their children.
Okay here is a problem once again we are looking at it as "perception" that your kids/teens are not going to drink. TRULY EVERYONE MUST WAKE UP!!!!! Think back to when you were a teen or now, have you never had a drink? At that age you think you are invincible, I can truly say I had to be about 20 when I realized I wasn't. As a teen though my parents and I were open about drinking and they made me feel comfortable to let them know that if I was going to drink I could call them or stay at the persons house. I am 29 now and I still live by that!
We will never get anything solved or learned from this if we as parents can not wake up and belief that our kids COULD possibly be out there drinking, don't ever think, "not my kid", when you think that is when you may get a phone call.
As part of the Safe Homes project, parents sign a pledge that they will not tolerate drinking in their homes. The names of the parents are shared as part of a parent network so the parents can commuicate, provide support to one another, and monitor the behavior of their children.
FROM MIKE CETERA:
Dr. Stutz has provided a document outlining what Kendall County authorities are doing to combat underage drinking. Find it here.
Dr. Stutz Responds: Coming from one parent to another I would approach the parent and let them know that my child is not allowed drink and it is illegal. I would ask that they support this decision and assist me in not exposing my child to alcohol.
While I understand the concern about addressing other parents who CHOOSE to allow their teens and others to drink in their home, at some point choice is gone. Bottom line underage drinking is illegal, dangerous and can and does result in the loss of life. It is important to set the standard for youth that the law is the law. It is illegal to allow underage youth to drink. Period. Adults who allow underage drinking must be held accountable for breaking the law.
Here is another example of stupidty on our behalf. One of the starting players for the Oswego football team was arrested and taking to Kendall Count Jail, and had to be bailed out for underage drinking. Guess what happened to him. A few game suspension and back on the field. Because we have to have him for the team. Once again he was arrested, and was allowed to play after a few game suspension. What signal did the school district send to the students in this town. That the team is more important.
I am Matthew Franks mom, the list is so long of things that need to change but firt i want to comment on the headlines "Its clear parents need to step up" well so do many others i agree with the parents, i take balme for that night i was Matts mom and it was my job to keep him safe and i failed and because of that my son died but the police need step it up i picked up Matthews friend for underag e drinking and on the ticket listed the house where the alcohol was provided and they did NOTHING to the people who owned the house and i know for a fact these parents have provided teens alcohol on several occassions. Also Judges need to give harsher sentences for drunk driving instead of slaps on the wrist. If you read the stories in the AIMES and MADD book everyone of these people whos stories are told get almost no time or little. It should be a world wide slogan you want to kill someone and get away with it have a few beers and get behind the wheel of a vehicle it only is one of the # 1 killers but nothing is ever done to put a stop to it!
Keith Kuhn comments: Underage drinking is illegal. I don't know that a conversation needs to be had with a parent in a situation where they are allowing a party to occur in their home with drinking. There is a social responsibility to notify the authorities at that point. The resulting loss of lives is a perfect example of why it is so important for us to take action as individuals and as a community.
Alex, I think your "we will talk to your parents" the next day is a great idea. I had a similar situation a number of years ago when my niece was arrested and she called me for the fear of her parents. Little did she know when I picked her up "we" were going to tell her parents. I think it helped both sides to have someone else involved!
Someone asked what is a Residential Trespass Agreement? It is a form that must be signed by the occupant/owner of a residence. It is filed with the local police. When a responsible neighbor calls the police and reports a party, the police go to the residence and request admittance as stated in the signed agreement. A problem persists for the police. Teens know that they do not have to unlock a door. Part of the plan must include leaving a door key with the responsible neighbor. When the teens refuse to unlock and open the door, the officer has a key for entry. The purpose of the plan is to create a fear for teens that us old fogies are fighting back. We must accept the fact that teens will make mistakes as did we. The fear for the teens is that they may be attending a party at a home which has a Residential Trespass Agreement in place. The owner gives the police permission to Trespass at the residence when they are away and an unauthorized party is underway. The idea came from Wisconsin and I heard about it from former States Attorney (now Judge) Tim McCann. I received the forms from Kendall County Officer Rick Pearson after I called and emailed Patrol Sergeant Michael Simms msimms@co.kendall.il.us or 630-553-7500.
Dr. Stutz thank you for showing this plan. But I will ask I see nothing where our town is involved in it. Other than from a county directive. How do we bring these policies to the students and parents of Oswego schools.
Also these newspaper article make this crash look like it was the teens fault. They were not behind the wheel a 23 year old=adult was. It pathetic that there are allowances for 4th and 5th offenses for DUI. IT should NEVER get that far!
Here is another food for thought... how come we have some much trouble and issues w/ underage drinking? Notice that other countries that don't have the laws and regulations that we do and don't have the issues and problems we have. I am not promoting underage drinking like some may think, I am being realistic that under age drinking is happening.
keith even if the authorities are notified they DONT always do something about it.
I feel that parents need to pay a little more attention to who their children are hanging with and also set better examples, but also when these children do get into trouble that rather than slapping them on the hands that they be given stricter punishments, so we quit having the repeat offenders in both the juvenile court systems but also the adult court systems. Look at home many times we read about repeat offenders especially with DUI's, even when they have no license they are still driving. It is also a shame that the world just wants to comtinue to blame others when sometimes the problems are right under their own nose.
To answer your question you as a parent may allow your child to drink within your home with some restrictions. First no to the level that is deemed to be dangerous to the health of the child, second they may not leave the residence until they are not deemed not under the influence of alcohol. This is mainly for religious purposes. Their is no law in Illinois that states it is illegal for a parent to serve thier child alcohol in thier own home. It must be their child, they may not serve other children even if the other child's parent grants permission.
Thank you Lisa,
And Mrs Frank, I'm very very sorry for your loss! I hope as a community we can do something to honor them through this.
Dr. Stutz Responds: Currently the Oswego School District is working on a grant from the Federal Government to address the underage drinking issue to implement curriculum in conjuction with the police department, hire a community organize to mobilze change with the development of community policy, and work with our health and human service agencies to work with families and treatment. We will be asking our legislators to adopt legislation to implement a requirement in which parents must attend a meeting on Teenage, Drinking and the law before a student can get their driving permit. If we get the grant, we will create a task force in conjuction with the Kendall County Network project to implement change across all domains of public entities.
The Oswego Police Department has trespass agreements, my neighbor used one when they were out of town, it worked good.
Joan Leigh from the Education Service Network comments that the Kendall County Network Project is sponsoring a Town Hall Meeting on Underage Drinking at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 4, 2008 in Plano (location to be announced). If you are interested in attending, please email Devin Bates at dbates@kendall.k12.il.us
Local law enforcement agencies and the courts must enforce the existing DUI laws. Additionally, Illinois must ensure stricter legislation addressing repeat DUI offenders.
So what do you say everyone lets get together at the high school with anyone who does care and come up with a plan to help the kids!
It seems that a continuation of viewing underage drinking as a law enforcement problem is not going to be productive. A great many of the comments seem to suggest that involving law enforcement and harsher penalties will solve things. But, isn't fear of punishment what leads many kids to not contact parents or other adults when they might really need their help?
teen drinking, its hard to control this when parents don't stick together. There was 8 kids that makes a minimun of 16 parents but alot of parents will lie for their kids and their kids friends and that makes it hard to trust. Not to mention the way teenagers are treated by adults and police as if their presence is a nussance.
Hi! I just found out about this so i'm sorry that i'm late to all of this. I was a senior at OHS last year when this happened. My younger sister is a sophmore and i have known the Dillion family for years. All i can say on the issue of underage drinking is that no matter what we do, no matter who dies, people are going to be stupid. They are going to continue to think that these things can not happen to them and there is nothing that we can do to change that stupidity. I have friends who have been in drunk driving crashes and they still drive drunk. I have offered to be a Designated Driver for friends who have turned me down only to drive drunk later that night. From what i understand, the students who died have friends that are drinking and driving in their honor alomst every weekend. If that isn't stupid, i don't know what is. What can we do to combat this? who knows? If a dead friend doesn't send a message, i'm sure that a school or a parent isn't going to. I'm sorry to sound so rude about the whole topic, but as a teenager myself, this is what i have noticed in the year since the crash.
Devin Bates Responds: It is important to highlight the importance of accountablility of the parents toward their teens. Looking at the driver's education program, parents really have an important chance to talk to their teens about drinking and driving. Parents should be mandated to attend a meeting with their teen before they are allowed to graduate from their dirver's education course. This would help educate parents on laws, and safety issues surrounding teens and drinking. During these meetings parents would be able to ask questions about drinking and teen partying which would enduce the conversation between the parents and teens.
And why is it that even after the police our called that nothing is done? I pose this questuion to all on line right now. We must pull togeather and fight back for these kids who died.
Every country, county, city and village has a problem with drinking...it's not just lowly "Oswego", okay? The problem is communication, which noone seems to have. I'm so glad that this is happening, and that teens can finally see that their parents aren't out to get them, or disown them if they get in a situation they aren't too proud of.
With all due respect Alex, I am not sure why the kids who died in that accident should be honored. To me it seems the height of irony that there would be any recognition other than as a senseless loss of life.
Shelly Musser responds: We also need to recognize that 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.' The State of Illinois' operating budget this year was $49 billion dollars. By way of comparison, the states spend only $6 million on substance abuse prevention programming to reach all youth across the state. That expenditure is less than one half of one percent of all spending in Illinois. If we are to truly reach every youth, funding must be increased!
Dr. Stutz repsonds: It is my best hope that we continue to address Oswego community. We have started at the County Level and it is our best hope that we will narrow the focus with a community focus. The plans are in the works. It takes dollars to pull this together. I will continue to work as hard as I can to get community involvement and support from all domains and public entities. This blog is a start... the grant is a start and our efforts will continue..
I'm actually MRS DWYER, i want to add one more thing IF you want to get through to kids you CAN'T start out by bashing their dead friends they won't even hear what you are saying. I am shocked as to how much drinking there is going on with these teens and i would LOVE to work on a solution
To Matt's Mom, you are so right we need to quit just slapping people on the wrists and open up peoples eyes. I am behind you one hundred percent Too many of these things continue to happen and just get brushed under the rug
Come on everybody lets have the meeting!
Come on everybody lets have the meeting!
The city of Plano is going to conduct a project sticker shock which is a program that targets adults who buy alcohol for underage kids. The program will work with liquor stores and gas station to put warning stickers on alcohol cases stating that it is illegal to buy alcohol for persons under the age of 21. The sticker will also show consequences for buying alcohol for persons underage teens. This program will run during the prom month.
I think we have to get back to the basics of thinking "it takes a Village . . . ". Everyone is SO afraid of saying something about a child to another parent. When I was younger (which in all honesty was NOT that long ago) if we did something wrong we were either corrected by the adult who was present and they told our parents (double whammy). Why are we all afraid to "butt-in"??
wow, this was certainly an excellent start! I hope that we all encourage our children to read an comment, and to honestly start a discussion about how to resolve this ongoing problem. This could be the start of something great.
To Dr. Stutz,
The Oswego Police Chief is Dwight Baird. When I spoke with Dwight approximately two weeks after the crash, he was familiar with the Residential Trespass Agreement. Bringing it to the parents will require community involvement through parent organizations. I also recommended it to the Youth Pastor at Oswego Presbyterian Church (Sam). A lot of teens were at OPC moruning the loss of their friends. Sam didn't follow up with a letter to the teens or their parents. I believe that we are establishing a form of mental warfare on the teens. The purpose is not to punish the teens or the parents. If the teens hear about a few instances of Residential Trespass Agreements, I believe that it will become a deterrent to having a party when parents are away. The neighbor idea is an add-on that creates a big "if" as in "What if the nosey neighbors have a key to our party house and call the police to report a lot of cars parked in the neighborhood, noise, squealing tires, etc."
anonymous if we are going to have meeting we need the police chief and the mayor. These are the people we elected and they need to answer for our concerns.
Tom, your right, honor was the wrong word, but rather I hope their deaths were not in vein. I hope we can come up with some solutions that will help use these senseless losses to save lives.
What was the outcome with the driver? Has she been sentanced?
A response to Shelly Muser's posting: Can I infer from your comment that you consider teenagers who drink alcohol to be substance abusers? Can a teenager use alcohol and other drugs without being an abuser? Should drug education programs be abstinence only programs as most are for sex education?
I don't think most schools do enough when students get arrested for drinking. There should be more serious consequences. All high schools in Illinois should adopt the same rules, or strategies. Besides more participation in Operation Snowballs, there should be some mentoring with local businesses, churches, Y's, etc. to sponsor/host supervised events for their students to attend/participate in. More parents need to know where their kids are. That should be a very high priority of any parent. No alcohol or part-alcoholic drinks should ever be sold to minors. Parents need to be held more responsible for not only their own kids, but also any under-age person who comes into their home, or vehicle, or club, or business place. Parents should "buddy-up" with other parents to become a little more "in the know" of events/happenings in the area. More parents should support IAADDA, OS, ITI, SADD, MADD, ILCAAP, etc. with their time and their money. Get to know your kids' friends. Be honest, open, and loving parents.
A thought for driver education... I don't remember what the program is and I am sure it is expensive but they have a "virtual" situation that you put on goggles and you have to drive impaired. From what I understand you put the goggles on and try to drive, then afterwards you are able to take the goggles off and see how you drove and puts things in perspective that it does not take much to impair judgement. This could be one of the steps to helping teens learn.
I have to agree that the more laws and regulations against teens will make them more acceptable not to ask/call for help when needed.
Matts mom is correct with needing stricter laws for repeat DUI offenders!
I really think that adults need to think twice about drinking and driving too. On a weekly basis, there is maybe one underage DUI arrest but 3 or 4 adults doing the same thing. Why aren't we focusing on the example adults are setting? Does anyone remember that Ms. Vasquez was an ADULT? She offered to give those kids a ride home. She should have known not to drink and drive, but she did it anyway. And from what i read in the reports almost of of the kids involved had a lower BAC than she did. I find it quite interesting that children who thought they were getting a safe ride home probably would have been in better shape if they would have just driven themselves. It's pathetic that we are placing all the blame on teens when adults need to take a step back and see what problems they are causing as well.
FROM MIKE CETERA:
I want to thank everyone who participated in getting this conversation started tonight. We hope it is just the start of something that will help our communities.
The panel we assembled will answer as many of the questions posed tonight as they can. They will post their responses to questions they didn't get to tonight in the coming days.
Meanwhile, please keep this conversation going. It's important to note that lawmakers, students, parents and educators are all reading this, which means what you have to say is reaching a variety of people.
Thanks again.
things are being mixed up so whoever is running this there are posts under my name from a teenage girl and i am comming up annonomys and times on posts are in correct causing confusion
I think we need to listen much more carefully to those who have recently lived through the period of adolescence and can reflect on it with some degree of recency. One such person posted anonymously at 8:59 PM and who said "from what i understand, the students who died have friends that are drinking and driving in their honor alomst every weekend." The poster referred to it as stupid, but what motivates such behavior>
heres a thought maybe if there were stiffer consequences for actions such as drinking and driving or teen drinking maybe the message of tolerance will get out. Money paid for a fine doesn't teach a teen anything because most of the time the parents are the one to pay it why not have them sit in on a impact pannel
i think some parents who let their kids and their friends drink might think twice about it if there was more punnishment for it. same thing with thr dui's. give more and harder punnishments and mayber people would be afraid to break the laws. what punnishment did the people at the house in boulder hill receive?
Motivation = teenage boredom
My staff and I are always looking to establish new partenerships with parents and schools to save lives. I would be willing to attend meetings to share ideas and listen. Working together is the only way to have an impact.
Does anyone know what the outcome was with the driver?
The people who own the house and the renters who occupied it. Got no tickets aor no media coverage to identify them. And i ask why. This is another great question for our town leaders.
Tom - does it have to be a behavior. Think back to when you were a teen, one of the things you wanted was to be an adult and treated like an adult. Teens feel that if they smoke or drink they are "cool." Some feel that this is the beginning of being an adult. Yes it sounds dumb but why did some of us adults do it when we were teens? To rebel, to fit in, to feel like an adult. People we may be older but we can't FORGET what it was like when we were teens.
Boredom is a poor excuse. I'm sure I was bored at some point as a teenager and I didn't turn to underage drinking.
Hi. my name is Amanda i am the one whose posts were showing up as anonyomus. I'm sorry Matt's mom if anything i said was incorrect, i am just sticking to what i have heard and observed at OHS. I have heard that there are students who were friends of teh victims who have been drinking and driving on a regular basis. As for your question Tom, i have no idea what motivates this behaivor. Even though i wasn't god friends with any of these students i can not even be in the same room as a person who thinks it is ok to drink and drive. Teenagers do not only need motivation behind their behaivor, sometimes they would rather do somethin, just because they can. That is my best insight into anyone who is still drinking and driving. They either just say, "screw what happened, i'll still do whatever i want" or they are just too thich headed to realize that what they are doing is a life threat to them and the others on the road.
Chief Baird thank you for attending. Where and when are the meetings going to be?
If everyone who has ever driven drunk were put into prison for ten years, then there would not be a drunk driving problem. But, then many of us would not be online tonight participating in this forum...we'd be in prision. The answer is not law enforcement.
acording to the beacon news reports, she might stand trial next year
Do you really feel people will think twice if there is more punishment w/ parents and teens? This is only a bandaid, we as a community have to look at why and open communcation. We have punishment b