Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Patch Story - Principal to Drunk Students: The Party's Over



A Terra Nova High School dance was shut down Friday night after administration officials discovered about 15 students apparently inebriated, with many more possibly under the influence as well.

Some students were denied entry at the door because they had been drinking. Others were rooted out after they’d entered the dance, called the RANT Dance, according to Terra Nova Principal Jonathan Ferrer. Eventually, enough students were found to be under the influence that the dance was called off for safety reasons.

“We didn’t know how many students had been drinking, whether there were as many as 30, or 40 more, and we didn’t know how they might be getting home,” he said. “Students may have been taking other students home and we didn’t want to take that risk.”

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Submitted by Camden Swita

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

What made TerraNova High give a shit this time. All of their dances are always one big FN drug and drunk mess. The parents that chaperone these dances have no problem talking about what they witness. The style of dance that is allowed is like watching a soft porn movie. There is always one or two students who have to have their stomach pumped. Drug dealers hang out down the street from the school in the morning. Seniors have fake i.d.'s and buy alcohol for everyone. Students grow marijuana and share it with students. The school has always been a mess. Why the all of a sudden change?? Just curious. Local teachers who have their kids attend the school are no better. Their own kids were arrested for a D.U.I. What's the message they are sending??? What a mess.

Anonymous said...

I can't support a tax increase for the benefit of this school district.

Hutch said...

As I said on the Patch, this never happened under Tom Minshew's watch.

In the past 4 years of him being principal of TN not one dance was called off early or ambulances called for mass amounts of drunk or drugged teens being arrested. Tom was tough but fair. He made it clear there was zero tolerance.

I'm not blaming the current principal. I'm just saying look at what has changed since lat year. Procedures, training, enforcement?

Of course some teens are going to be bad apples. And this ultimately falls on them and their parents. But to have so many kids drunk at a dance tells me they feel they could get away with it.

Anonymous said...

What a ridiculous comment. Of course this has been going on for years -- just look at Jonny Bier and Stephanie Echeverri. Rather than bash this principal, someone should give him a medal for finally cracking down.

Hutch said...

@ Anon 444 Sensitive?

Who's bashing the current principal?

I'm not saying teens haven't always been drinking. I am saying we haven't had a scene like this in the past 5 years.

The Johnny Bier (God Bless) tragedy was long before Minshew was principal.

That terrible accident was one reason Tom was so tough on teen drinking at TN. Thank God there were no deadly accidents during the years he was principal.

What is so ridiculous?

I think it's perfectly understandable to look at how the last principal ran things since he was successful at cubing drinking.

Anonymous said...

"he was successful at cubing drinking"

If you actually mean "curbing", not from what I hear or from all the comments on Patch. If you really mean "cubing" (in the mathematical sense), you're probably being a little harsh, but you might be closer.

Hutch said...

say what you want but an incident this serious (arrests, ambulances, dance canceled) hasn't happened in the past 4-5 years.

Anonymous said...

Well, then it looks like the kids are getting younger and sloppier. Due to the fact that they have a senior with a fake i.d. who buys these younger kids liquor. That fact may not have been relative before this dance, only at local parties that were busted up by the cops.

Anonymous said...

They've been building up to this and good on the principal for taking it public and taking action. Keep it up and keep it in the spotlight. Too bad he can't do anything about the many Pacifica parents who enable underage drinking and contribute to the problem.

Anonymous said...

"an instance this serious hasn't happened"

No, an instance this serious hasn't been punished.

Anonymous said...

The new principal is a nightmare. Been getting worse and worse all year. Ask students about how relaxed it is this year rulewise. Principal favors students and is hanging out with them instead if enforcing policies he put forth. He seems he already has his foot into the next job. He did nothing about the drinking after homecoming or the winter dance 'blizzard'.

Anonymous said...

not my kid !

Anonymous said...

Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Hutch said...

Anonymous said...
"The new principal is a nightmare. Been getting worse and worse all year. Ask students about how relaxed it is this year rulewise."

---------------------

Like I said, the kids respected Mr Minshew. He made it clear there was zero tolerance for alcohol or drugs.
I don't know the new principal but I don't believe this would have happened last year.

Anonymous said...

Anon said about the new principal "He did nothing about the drinking after homecoming or the winter dance 'blizzard'."

Really? If this is true no wonder these kids were over the edge. There needs to be an investigation.

Anonymous said...

I think some students need to be investigated. The police can help. There are seniors with fake id's and they have purchased alcohol for other students who have been arrested by the police for having alcohol and under the influence. Last years seniors were selling these id's and getting them made through their connection at dmv. This is not a part of Pacifica Culture. It is a part of America's High Schools cultures that were promoted back in the late 60's and 70's through the schools. Now we have come full circle. If you watch tv you will have seen some movies and regular programs that promote our schools in a very negative way. They are just doing what media and liberal educators are telling them to do. A teacher in oregon tells students to have as much sex and do as much drugs as you want. So deal with it or leave them alone.

Anonymous said...

I think some teachers need to be investigated. I just googled sex, drugs and teachers. Yikes. Wish I didn't.

Anonymous said...

Some of these statements are highly questionable. For the last several decades teenagers have been drinking in high school. It happened when I went to Terra Nova and it happened throughout the 80's and 90's and during this past decade. It is a very significant issue. Parents continue to be concerned but there is obviously no easy answers. This principal decided to call the police and did what he could to get them home safely. During previous dances and events police weren't called but that doesn't mean the problem didn't exist. Parents are part of the problem, along with the kids and what is accepted as the social norm. We all need to work on this together rather than point fingers. The principal obviously cares about the students and I understand they are being more strict when he comes to behavior in school. The time has come for us to come together on this issue through education and discussion. Blaming particular individuals will get us nowhere.

Hutch said...

I think we need to look at everything for the sake of our kids.

That includes how the school is handling things.

Nothing should be off the table.

Kathy Meeh said...

Anonymous (847), you said.. "Last years seniors were selling these id's and getting them made through their connection at dmv." DMV connection, really? Someone is willing to sacrifice their good government agency job to make a few dollars illegally faking official driver's licenses for young adults? I don't think so.

You said, "They are just doing what media and liberal educators are telling them to do." "Media", what media? And, "liberal educators", are you referring to our professionally trained, caring teachers who work every day to assure the best education and success of our children? No way!

And, "A teacher in OREGON" (next State over) "tells students to have as much sex and do as much drugs as you want." Sure, Anon, has that alleged teacher been fired, or never existed? Are there legal charges? I didn't see anything in the news. Where did you get your "information", are you making it up?

Anonymous said...

@Hutch...I completely understand that how the school is handling this should be looked at, but from what I see they are handling it by calling the police when they needed to. The kids are the ones who drank, not the principal. Unless they have a breathalyzer at the door I am not sure how easy it is to detect when someone is drunk when they give you their ticket. If kids leave their homes sober and show up at the dance drunk then I don't know how easy it will be for parents to ensure their kids aren't drinking except to monitor them at all times. There are some tough issues to deal with and being that most of the kids were completely innocent I don't think it is fair to punish all of them by canceling these activities. I hope the community can come together to work on this issue and understand it isn't the result of one administer's policy changes and it certainly isn't occurring only at Terra Nova High School.

Hutch said...

@ Anon 1036

There is much more the school can do besides "react"

What steps are they taking to prevent kids from drinking? Are they sending signals that drinking is not a big deal? Do they reenforce that zero tolerance will be accepted in school?

Of course this is also on the parents, relatives, neighbors, police and of course the kids themselves.

But for some to say we can't question how the school is handling things is BS.

Anonymous said...

The Principal did the right thing and called the police for help. The police handle our juvenile cases very well. The parents will do their part by making sure the student stays on the right track. No one died, this time. Some will get counseling. The community is on alert and frankly getting tired of these youths behaving in such a reckless manner.

Anonymous said...

Is there any truth that the Jefferson Union School District allowed all high schools, under their charge, to have a dance in a bar called the Hard Hat Daly City? I heard it was a private dance? All grades were invited , all high schools in the district were invited and no cops. I was also told cops were across the street at Walgreens. I don't know the details but this is what I was told. Students had to have school id in order to get in. Alcohol was not served.

Anonymous said...

Don't know anything about the school function held at a bar but some of the kids at the TN dance were drunk when they got there. Got that way at home, at a friend's, in the car on the way? Probably all of those are true. It's not a one-size fits all kind of problem. The school needs to be a zero-tolerance zone, no exceptions, no leniency.