Mr. Nowak,
those statistics are chilling. i'd just like to clarify one more time that i am not arguing the seriousness of the issue, but rather what i feel is the best way to handle it in the best interest of kids.
wrestle007,
I do realize that just because you are not in support of the Shawnee Missions zero tolerance policy that doesn't mean that you are saying that teenage drinking is not a serious matter. I know you realize how serious a problem it is. You are just saying that you do not believe the Shawnee Mission solution is the best way to deal with it. I think a lot of people, who are not posting, share that belief with you. I myself had that opinion that it was too severe of a punishment for a first offense, when it first was adopted and subsequently applied in the Ryan Lilja incident several years ago. I have recently become a supporter of the Shawnee Mission zero tolerance policy after following the Derby incident and the ensuing discussion on it on this forum. I started thinking about it more and looking more into the dangers of teenage drinking. I have come to believe that the dangers of teenage drinking are severe enough that the zero tolerance policy of Shawnee Mission is warranted. This is what I believe is ultimately in the best interests of our young people.
