The administration and the Parent Teacher Student Association helped organize a Parent Education night at Gunn Dec. 7 to inform parents and students about the consequences of drinking, specifically while driving. A related community-wide discussion was held Nov. 30 at the Lucie Stern Ballroom with a turnout of over 100 people.

Although most of the students at Palo Alto Unified School District do not drink and drive, many still believe that it still is a problem that has to be addressed. “I do think that teen drinking is an issue in Palo Alto, particularly drinking and driving,” Director of Parent Ed Carolyn Williams said. “Anything that we can do to raise both parents’ and students’ awareness about modifying behavior in order to reduce the chances of a student either driving after having a drink or getting into a car with someone who has been drinking is important.”

The discussions included presentations by the Palo Alto Drug and Alcohol Committee, including the Palo Alto Police Departement and Stanford University Medical Center, that analyzed the data about teen drinking and possible solutions like adopting an ordinance to restrict the number minors allowed in a room with alcohol. According to the Most of Us survey, 227 students drink alcohol once a week and over 1000 have been in a car with a driver under the influence of alcohol.

“We hope the Parent Education night will be able to open up communication between parents and their children,” Assistant Principal Kim Cowell said. “Information is power and if parents have that information then they have the tools to be able to stop their children from drinking.”