Several Wisconsin legislators proposed a bill that would prohibit minors from having traces of alcohol in their body when on school property, even if the alcohol was consumed with parents outside of school premises.
Current Wisconsin law states alcohol consumption by minors is legal as long as a parent or guardian provides it. School districts already have the power to expel or suspend students if it occurs on campus, but the student cannot be punished in a court of law.
Sen. Neal Kedzie, R-Elkhorn, the main sponsor of the bill, said he came up with the idea after he heard from a school where a student had shown up to a dance intoxicated. The student received a police citation, but it was dismissed in court because he had consumed the alcohol at home with his parents before the dance.
“Obviously there’s no reason for minors to be on school grounds and be intoxicated,” Kedzie said. “This bill is one more tool that schools can use and maybe parents will think twice about serving their child alcohol.”
The bill would only pertain to elementary, middle and high school students and would have no eaffect on college campuses.
Kedzie said he hopes legislation like this will decrease the number of alcohol-related incidents by minors, such as car accidents or altercations. He added that no parent should be serving their underage child alcohol.
“I don’t think parents are being responsible by allowing [minors] to consume alcohol,” Kedzie said. “There are some very irresponsible individuals that shouldn’t be parenting.”
Currently, the bill is being debated in the education committee, but Kedzie said he is hopeful Legislature will get it passed before it finishes the spring session in April.
University of Wisconsin Health Media Relations specialist Jon Sender said UW Health would support any legislation that keeps alcohol off school premises.
“Basically it gives school administrations a bit more power to deal with underage drinking on their school grounds,” Sender said. “It’s one more tool to attack underage drinking.”
Sender said issues of privacy infringement are a concern for parents, but that hopefully they will get worked out during the legislative process and hearings.
According to Sender, UW Health is involved in many efforts to combat underage drinking, including founding the All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education project, which deals with issues of alcohol abuse.
“This is not an issue that we intend to walk away from,” Sender said. “We’re in it for the long run.”
Sender said AWARE supports increasing the beer tax and restricting minors from consuming alcohol in restaurants or bars even when they are with their parents. AWARE also is pushing for mandatory revocation of people’s licenses if they are caught drunken driving.
“We need better tools to fight this problem,” Sender said. “We need to recognize that Wisconsin has a drinking problem.”
