Parents required to join students at game

School reacts to drinking incident

Students at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School will have to bring a parent or guardian if they want to attend the school football team's game on Friday, a tough new policy enacted in reaction to widespread drinking at the last game that forced two students to go to the hospital and left seven suspended.

The students were disciplined after they were caught binge drinking or with alcohol on Friday at the football team's home opener, school officials said. At least two were treated by ambulance personnel on scene and taken to a hospital by their parents.

School administrators believe many others were drinking as well, in a blatant disregard of law and school policy, they said.

In some cases, students' conduct drew the attention of officials at the game. In addition, police found four minors in possession of alcohol.

"Who knows what the total number was?" John M. Ritchie, superintendent and principal, said of the students' drinking. "There was just a sense that there was a large group of kids, and they were drinking."

Ritchie said the new requirement that a parent accompany a student will hold students accountable, while at the same time sending a larger, public message that student drinking will not be tolerated. He said the requirement is for the next game until a long-term plan can be devised and said the decision was better than alternatives that included not allowing students to attend Friday's game at all.

The school dance after last Friday's game was canceled.

Ritchie said the incident was an embarrassment to the high school. And while the staff typically has a good relationship with students, the incident reflected a deeper issue with teenage drinking, particularly in suburban communities.

Ritchie said officials were worried that some students may have tried to drive home after drinking, if they had not been caught by school administrators.

"A number of students have been suspended, but they were only the ones who got caught," Ritchie said in an e-mail to parents and read to students by teachers. "It is up to all of us to determine whether Friday night marks a major change in the [school] culture or whether it is something we can learn from, pay the price for, and use to get back on the right track.

"Friday night was a low point. It is really terrible to be starting the year with such an event."

Ritchie's tough new policy was welcomed by students, parents, and school leaders who said it was an appropriate reaction.

"I don't think it's an overreaction," said Robert Sackstein of Sudbury, who has 16-year-old twins who attend the school. His son is on the football team. "This problem is significant enough to address. It's not like we're going to put this under the rug."

His daughter, Danielle, a junior and a member of the Student Senate, said students realize the severity of what happened and have come to terms with Ritchie's decision, even if they do not like the idea of going to a football game with their parents.

"When they take a minute to understand the situation, they think it's reasonable," she said. Patricia Mostue, chairwoman of the regional school district, said that the severity of the incident required Ritchie to respond and that this is appropriate.

"A lot of trust and responsibility is put into students at Lincoln-Sudbury," she said. "And most students are responsible, but this is not acceptable."

Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com.