School board: Practice but no games for underage partiers

WRENTHAM

King Philip Regional High School students who are caught at parties where alcohol is served this school year will be suspended from participating in extracurricular competitions, but now will be allowed to continue practicing with their teams, the regional school committee has decided.

Students and parents were in an uproar this past school year, after approximately 30 students were suspended from any extracurricular activity for six weeks after they were caught at party where minors were drinking. Some of the students hit with the suspensions admitted that they had been at the party, but insisted that they hadn't been drinking.

The refined policy still calls for six-week suspensions from extracurricular competitions for students who knowingly attend parties where alcohol is being used illegally. School Committee chairwoman Clare Sullivan said allowing students to practice with their teams is an attempt "to keep the students involved."

In another change to the policy, the school principal will have the option of reducing the suspension to four weeks if students attend an approved alcohol education program at their own expense.

-– Calvin Hennick