This Tuesday, the Staples PTA and Westport Library co-sponsor a “Conversation in the Community on Underage Drinking.”
The event (7:30 p.m., Bedford Middle School cafeteria) opens with John Dodig. The Staples principal will describe the steps his high school has taken to reduce drinking before and during next weekend’s Homecoming football game.
The bulk of the meeting, though, involves an open discussion about kids and alcohol, in all areas of Westport life. (Students are strongly encouraged to attend.)
Attendees will break into small groups to discuss areas of interest. At the end of the evening, each group will summarize its conclusions for everyone.
If Tuesday is at all like previous forums, it should be an interesting evening.
It would be even more fascinating if someone steps up to the mic and asks questions like these:
- The Homecoming game is scheduled for 10 a.m., in part to stop drinking beforehand. How many students plan to drink afterward? And how many parents know not only that their kids will drink then — but also exactly where?
- How many parents had a cocktail or two after work — and before driving to Tuesday’s meeting — “just to unwind.”
- How many students are willing to talk openly about their drinking habits — the “secret lives” few Westport adults are privy to?
- How many parents actually want to hear about those secret lives from their own kids?
If we are to have a true “community conversation,” those are important questions to ask.
They’re even more important to answer.
