Highland Park ISD tries to convince students to drink less — and good for them

I didn’t drink in high school. Well, okay, I drank that one time. We had a party at my house one night when I was a junior in high school. I decided it was time to act like a kid and get drunk. So I drank 20 beers. (This was Oklahoma 3.2 beer, so about the equivalent of a 12-pack.) I threw up all night.

Given that I diagnosed myself as someone who dives a bit too deep into new ventures, the next beer I remember enjoying was the one I drank with a friend to celebrate graduating from SMU.

If you feel like this is the place where I should point out that I’ve since made up for lost time with whiskey and wine, that’s fair. But I also believe it was important to delay drinking until I was old enough to imbibe responsibly(ish), and I had enough money to call a cab when needed.

That’s why, despite my cynical leanings, I think it’s great news that Highland Park ISD has hired a “coordinator for student integrity and compliance.” The hire, Jerry Sutterfield, seems to understand just how tough such a job is, telling the Morning News:

Sutterfield won’t just be talking to seniors. He’ll start with kids as young as seventh grade. You and I know that, especially in the Park Cities, this is necessary.

It’s pretty well-known around DISD schools that if you want to do some serious partying, you hang out with kids from the wealthier areas of town. You find yourself some entitled private school kids or Park Cities kids who have access to cash and parents who have only used their hands to high-five their kids, never for a good ass-slap.

I’m not saying it isn’t a problem in every school, within every demographic. I’m saying that as a collective, rich kids seem to have a desire — and the means — to grow up way too fast. And, too often, they think this is just their birthright.

I’m glad HPISD is trying to do something about that. And I’m not entirely sure it won’t have an effect. I used to discount such programs when I was younger. I think that’s because my generation didn’t seem responsive to people trying to teach us the evils of the world. We seemed to have a more John Hughes-ian worldview: Old people are idiots and not worth listening to.

With my daughter’s friends and acquaintances (she’ll be a college sophomore), I’m continually astounded at how thoughtful and mature they are, taking life lessons seriously and actually adopting that recommended behavior into their lives. One small example: When she goes out with her friends, they always appoint the “DD” (designated driver) before they leave the house. It’s ingrained in them.

That’s one reason I’m hopeful such a program (it’s only a part-time position right now) works and that it gathers lessons for other districts to follow.

Elsewhere

I’m glad JFloyd takes on the guns-and-kids issue, but trying to address it while asking for this not to devolve into a gun-rights issue doesn’t work. Because those guns did what they were designed to do: kill whatever they were aimed at. That’s relevant to the debate.

“Mass transit in Arlington” is an Onion story, right?

Spider-Man! Where are you coming from Spider-Man! Nobody knows who you are!

The Dallas Stars have fired head coach Glen Gulutzan! In related news, apparently someone named “Glen Gulutzan” has been the Stars’ coach for some time.

Please please please please please run in 2016, Ted Cruz. Please.

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Your Lege at work.

HPISD's new “coordinator for student integrity and compliance” will be talking to kids as young as seventh grade about drinking.

Photo by BluEyedA73

HPISD's new “coordinator for student integrity and compliance” will be talking to kids as young as seventh grade about drinking.