At this Missouri high school, every kid going to prom must take a Breathalyzer test

To combat underage drinking, high schools often administer a breath test to any student who appears intoxicated at prom.

But Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Mo., plans to go a step further, testing every single student going to the dance on April 28.

And it was the students' idea, Principal Jennifer Rukstad told the Columbia Board of Education on Monday.

Rukstad said school administrators met with members of the student council after a few people showed up drunk for a dance last fall, and this is the policy they came up with.

School board member James Whitt expressed concern that students not be singled out and humiliated. He was told it would be a blanket policy with no exceptions.

"We plan to have every student who enters the prom to have a Breathalyzer," Rukstad told the board. "It is not a veiled threat. It's important for the culture of our prom that we do it this way."

Rukstad said the policy will be clearly communicated to all students, letters would be sent to parents and the policy will be stated on prom tickets, so no one should be surprised.

Prom used to run from 9 p.m. to midnight, but this year it will be earlier, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., to shorten the potential drinking time between dinner and the dance. The school board did not discuss the greater potential drinking time once the dance is over.

Superintendent Peter Stiepleman said that with the new policy he did not think anyone would show up at prom intoxicated.

If a student blows .02 blood-alcohol content or higher, his or her parents will be called to pick them up. If a parent or another adult cannot be reached, the district will see to it the student is taken home.

School officials will not notify police of a drunken student.

Rukstad was asked where the school would obtain a Breathalyzer and individual blow pieces.

"Amazon.com," she said.

Principals at two other Columbia high schools, Battle and Hickman, said they have not experienced problems at past dances and would not test every student at the prom. But they will test those who show signs of intoxication. If a student tests positive, his or her parents will be called.

The new policy is unusual but not unheard of. Lawrence Public Schools adopted a Breathalyzer policy for dances in 2005. Schools in Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana and Texas have also adopted similar policies.

This story was originally published April 10, 2018 at 2:05 PM with the headline "At this Missouri high school, every kid going to prom must take a Breathalyzer test."