Geneva stiffens penalty for drinking at, or before, dance

Think a drink will spice up the Geneva High School homecoming dance Saturday?

Get caught, and your dancing shoes will gather dust for a year.

There's a new rule at the school: Anyone who is under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances at the dance will be forbidden from attending any other school dances for one year.

That means if you are kicked out of Saturday's party, you can't attend next fall's homecoming dance either.

If you are a senior, it means you will miss your senior prom.

Geneva Principal Tom Rogers emphasized that the great majority of students who attend dances do not show up drunk, or try to drink at the dance; he estimated fewer than 10 did so last year at homecoming. But faculty and parent chaperones want a more effective punishment for the handful who do, while encouraging students not to break the rules.

After last year's homecoming dance, faculty proposed making the change. A parent chaperone also prompted it with her feedback note to the principal: "What's it going to take to make the kids not pick up the drink?" she wrote, Rogers said.

Previously, students who disobeyed the rule got a three-day out-of-school suspension.

"Depending on the parents, that three-day suspension could be very difficult or could be a three-day vacation," Rogers said, explaining that if the parents work outside the home and the student was left unsupervised for the day, they might actually be enjoying the days off, sleeping late, playing video games or going out shopping.

"The kids were not too concerned about the three days," he said. "We did not feel it was having enough of an impact to change behavior."

However, Geneva does not plan to go as far as some high schools have, using a Breathalyzer to test every partygoer.

It will stick with its usual routine - observation and smell.

"It's a whole lot easier to detect than they realize," Rogers said.

Students entering the dance have to present their school identification and a bar-coded dance ticket. When the ticket is scanned, their information pops up on a computer. The chaperones then know who exactly is attending the dance.

Faculty and administrators are in charge of admission. Parent chaperones are in charge of refreshments, coat check and making sure kids don't wander off into the rest of the school or in and out of the various doors to the gym.

If a student is drunk or possesses alcohol or drugs, a parent is called to come get them. School authorities may also call the police. Underage drinking is against the law.

About 1,300 people attended last year's homecoming dance. The homecoming dance is usually the most popular, Rogers said. The school has five dances on its calendar this school year; there is a Christmas dance, two spring dances and the prom.

"The dances are a very safe, fun activity on a Saturday night," Rogers said.

"We are always very hopeful our students will make good, sound decisions."

St. Charles East, Batavia and Kaneland high schools all have homecoming dances Saturday too.

At Kaneland, a student possessing or under the influence of drugs or alcohol would receive a three-day out-of-school suspension and be required to enroll in the Breaking Free addiction education program. If they refuse, or do not successfully complete Breaking Free, they could receive a lengthier suspension, said the school's principal, Tony Valente.

Batavia and St. Charles East did not return calls for comment.