Canada High School Wants Students to Pass Breathalyser Test Before Attending Prom
A Canadian high school is going to ask students to pass a breathalyser test in order to get qualified for attending the prom on May 30.
North Dundas District High School in eastern Ontario will follow a zero-tolerance policy on alcohol consumption at the prom. The anti-alcohol rules will be enforced with the help of a breathalyser test. Anyone failing the test at the gate will not be allowed to attend the prom. According to Principal Brenda Beaudette, the breathalysers are going to help students attend the prom without getting worried about being pressurised to drink.
CTV News reported that not every student is excited about the effectiveness of the new said.rule. Zack Cronin, one of the students of the school, said that students could "handle themselves" even without being breathalysed. Another student Nick Fleury said that breathalysing every single student would blow the situation out of proportions. Prom committee member Haley Geertsma said that safety should be the main concern. Nobody should go home after "getting hurt or anything," she said.
This is, however, not the first time the school is going to enforce breathalyser tests for its students. Earlier in 2014, students were asked to pass a spot breathalyser test at a dance. A dozen students failed to pass the test as alcohol was found on their breath. Those students were sent home straightaway.
Beaudette said that police officers were present at the dances to handle each incident on a case-to-case basis. The event organised by the student council already saw its share of intoxicated students trying to attend the function, she said. Even though the council was disappointed to know that students came intoxicated at the function, there were also comments that things were not absolutely fair. Some students did manage to attend the dance without being caught, she said.
According to Geertsma, no student is going to feel uncomfortable because of the test as the policy was meant to ensure equality.