Students at prom this school year could be waiting in line to prove they haven’t been drinking before entering the dance. As part of an effort to curb teenage drinking at Albert Lea High School, students attending prom will have to go through a preliminary Breathalyzer test before admission.

“That way we guarantee to parents we have a safe and sober prom here at the school, and that’s what we want,” said Activities Director Clay Anderson.

At the 2008 prom, four people went to the dance who had been drinking. Homecoming last year had at least one person who had been drinking.

“I think it’s a problem every year at every high school,” Anderson said.

During the 2007-08 school year, Anderson’s office received 82 reports of chemical violations by ALHS students. Thirty-three of those reports were athletes and two were fine arts students — and all cases saw penalties. Anderson said the number of reports is three or four times what he is used to seeing.

“Alcohol is still the No. 1-used drug by teenagers,” said school resource officer Ted Herman, adding it will continue to be No. 1 because of societal views.

School board Vice President Bill Villarreal, who was a school resource officer from 1996 to 2001, said the number of teens drinking is about average.

“The numbers over the years really haven’t changed much; in fact they’re going down a bit,” he said.

Villarreal said Police Chief Dwaine Winkels told him in the last year the number of teens cited for underage consumption is about the same, if not a little low. Not all students reported to Anderson were caught by police.

“It’s socially acceptable,” Villarreal said. “This problem is not going to go away because there are some people that think it’s OK.”

At prom, instead of reading a blood-alcohol level every time, attendees will blow into a preliminary breath test’s capture column, Herman said. Students can cycle through, and a warning light will only go on if alcohol is detected on someone’s breath.

Herman said if alcohol is detected, then that person will be taken aside and given a preliminary breath test. He said that will give officers a chance to verify the first test and give students a second opportunity.

“We’re trying to give them the benefit of the doubt,” Herman said.

Attendees who pass the first breath test at prom will receive a small prize, plus names will be entered for a few larger prizes during the dance. Anderson said it is a way to promote a safe and chemical-free prom.

“Our goal is just for everyone to be aware that we’re trying to stop, trying to prevent,” Herman said.

He said he wants students to be aware that they will be testing everyone at prom. Testing will not occur at homecoming.

“It’s not because there’s a huge outburst of kids drinking and driving at the prom,” Herman said. “It’s another tool to make sure that they’re safe.”

The school district is making many attempts to educate students about drinking and help them make safe choices.

“As long as it’s socially acceptable, it’s going to continue to be a problem. And the best way to fight it is education,” Villarreal said.

Herman said his top priority is preventing drinking and driving by teens. Each year he takes health classes out to drive a course in a golf cart while wearing drunk goggles.

The high school also brings in guest speakers and programs to educate students. Herman, along with students, performs public service announcements on local radio stations and on Tiger Vision, the school’s TV news program.

The Albert Lea Police Department has a zero-tolerance policy for underage drinking. Herman said that could be the reason for the spike in reported instances last year.

“We enforce it pretty heavily, that’s just our department policy,” he said. “I just think kids are getting caught.”

Villarreal said he isn’t quite sold on the idea of breath-testing all students at prom. He said it seems time-consuming when the majority of students haven’t been drinking. However, he didn’t say he was against the idea.

“Maybe a thorough job is the right thing,” he said.

In addition to testing at prom, Anderson will take student athletes and fine-arts students to two different leadership conferences next year through the Big Nine Conference. He said this will be a way to attack the problem proactively, prevent chemical use and help students make positive choices.

“Obviously we can’t get enough education on the topic,” he said. “I just thought this might be another angle.”

The first occurrence for students involved in athletics or fine arts that are caught or confess to alcohol use have to sit out half a season or the fine-arts equivalent. A second violation has a student sitting out an entire year or half a season plus 20 hours of community service and the completion of a chemical dependency class.

The third violation — which Anderson said no student has committed — results in sitting out an entire season plus community service and chemical dependency classes. These rules are listed in the student handbook.

Anderson said ALHS penalties for alcohol and chemical use are stronger than those at the Minnesota State High School League.

Many student and parents were concerned that nonathletes voted to homecoming court and other such student-elected leadership positions should suffer the same consequences as athletes and fine-arts students when busted for alcohol-related offenses. Anderson said homecoming royalty is not a Minnesota State High School League event so he doesn’t enforce in that situation. Superintendent David Prescott said the idea is a concern but did not have a concrete answer.

In an attempt to deter students from bringing drugs and alcohol into the school building, ALHS has drug dogs randomly walk through the building three or four times a year.

“This school and all district grounds should be safe havens for students,” Anderson said.