E-Mail sent by Principal Tutwiler

Opinion

In an attempt to curtail teenage binge drinking related to the Senior Show, Principal Tutwiler recently sent an e-mail to senior parents asking that they not host post-Senior Show parties this year. There is absolutely nothing he could have done that is more counterproductive to his cause.

Principal Tutwiler’s request reflects a fundamental lack of understanding of the Wayland student body, and as a senior of Wayland High School, I want to present my argument and suggest an alternative action that he could still take.

First of all, I feel that Principal Tutwiler’s request is hypocritical in the context of his support of the non-profit organization WaylandCares.

WaylandCares distributes posters around the school claiming that most Wayland students make good choices and don’t drink. By speaking out against all Senior Show parties, Principal Tutwiler implies either that he does not believe WaylandCares’ claims, or that he believes that the whole grade should be held accountable for the actions of a minority.

The senior class will disbelieve both the principal and WaylandCares if they contradict each other, and 2011 is sure to ignore this eminently unfair request. Principal Tutwiler has undermined his own credibility and the credibility of the alcohol education program at Wayland High School.

At a more fundamental level, Principal Tutwiler’s request is an invasion of every family’s privacy. Parents think long and hard about underage drinking and have a right to make their own informed decisions. By requesting that parents act according to his views, Principal Tutwiler has maligned the decisions of every parent who has decided to preach anything other than zero-tolerance. Principal Tutwiler has infringed upon parents’ rights to raise their own children in their own ways.

Principal Tutwiler’s reasoning behind his actions is likely the misconception that if parents do not host post-Senior Show parties, there won’t be an alcoholic celebration. Common sense will tell you that this is not the case.

These parties happen because the students want them to happen, and those students who want to drink will drink. Abstinence-only sex education doesn’t work, so why should abstinence from parties involving alcohol fare any better? If Principal Tutwiler believes that any attempt to prevent post-Senior Show parties can succeed, then he doesn’t understand the student body that he is supposed to help educate.

Because he can’t stop the celebration, Principal Tutwiler’s request that parents not host parties after Senior Show will only lead to less supervision. Let’s imagine what would happen if every parent agreed not to host a Senior Show party. Instead of being held in a house, supervised by adults and accessible to emergency personnel, the celebration would probably be held in a remote, outdoor location without any adults at all.

Such a situation would be counterproductive. Students would binge drink more without supervision than they would have under supervision, and they would be far more at risk of alcohol-related injury in the woods than at a “traditional” party. I am disappointed that Principal Tutwiler has thrown his weight behind a plan that will increase binge drinking and alcohol-related injury.

Hence, I am respectfully suggesting that Principal Tutwiler publicly rescind his earlier message. He said in his letter to parents that he refuses to “sit by idly and hope that nothing tragic happens.” Yet by driving student drinking out of supervised homes and into the woods, he is doing something even worse. Instead of repressing the celebrations, Principal Tutwiler should ask for increased supervision of the events by parents.

This would minimize dangerous behaviors while still allowing seniors to celebrate. Instead of adopting a “not on my lawn” philosophy, Principal Tutwiler should accept the situation and help students stay safe.

In conclusion, I want to stress the negative consequences that may result from a failure to act. Principal Tutwiler has explicitly tried to control his students’ lives outside of school. By expanding his influence into the private lives of his students, Principal Tutwiler has gone too far. Though I sympathize with his motives, his suggestion would only make the drinking situation worse.

I am extremely frustrated with the naive policy and high-handed manner that Principal Tutwiler has adopted, and I am not alone. I am being treated like a child, incapable of making my own decisions, and as a teenager two months from becoming a legal adult, I do not appreciate it.

See another opinion on this topic from editor David Ryan.