Town hall tackles teen drinking
EDITOR'S NOTE: See video from the forum on the newspaper's Facebook page or website.
Choking back tears, Ellen Blechle told her story.
The Chester High School senior - a member of a panel of Randolph County representatives that included Coroner Randy Dudenbostel, County Board Chairman Marc Kiehna, Memorial Hospital of Chester Dr. Doyle Witt, Chester Police Sgt. Bobby Helmers and Assistant State's Attorney Dave Smith - stated she was a freshman and was talked into going to a Prom night party with upperclassmen.
Blechle said one of her "new friends" offered her a drink and she took it. A photo of her holding the drink later tipped off her parents.
After getting caught, Blechle stated she was kicked off the CHS track team as a result and had to do community service as part of her punishment.
"Drinking will not make you popular or give you more friends," Blechle said. "It will take everything away from you."
Blechle said Monday's town hall forum on teen drinking in Randolph County was the first time she had spoken publicly about that incident.
"I've never publicly talked about this and now I can put it behind me," she said.
Ellen's mother, Valerie Blechle, later brought up the Chester school district's Extracurricular Code of Conduct and a perceived double standard when it came to other students and athletes getting caught breaking the rules, with past incidents allegedly getting "swept under the rug."
"What this has taught our family is not the same consequences apply to everyone," she said.
As a father of three boys, Chester Grade School Principal Tim Lochhead talked about the parent culture of saying it is OK to have a party in the house.
"It really has to come down to you as parents hoping they do make the right decisions," he said.
Lochhead also told a story about how he once had to walk into a bar to give a parent a document to sign their child over to rehab.
"I think the parenting really needs to be involved," he said. "The police can't do it all."
Randolph County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Jarrod Peters noted that a lack of manpower and resources interferes with deputies' ability to break up house parties.
"We do have to prioritize our calls," he said.
Kiehna said the board chairman role also doubles as liquor commissioner for the county. He noted a new state law, which took effect in 2015, requires all on-premise alcohol servers (and those required to check identification for alcohol service) to successfully complete the Beverage Alcohol Sellers and Servers Education Training (BASSET) course by July 1, 2017 in Randolph County.
Certification is good for three years before the training must be completed again. Part of the training is learning how to spot fake IDs.
The state's Dram Shop statute also makes owners of businesses that sell liquor liable for injuries or damages caused by an intoxicated person who consumed alcohol provided by the business.
Highlighting his 13 years of experience as a school counselor, Kiehna stated he has had to deal with student deaths due to alcohol abuse.
"The guilt that is there from these fellow students and teachers is tremendous and it's hard to get over," he said.
Dudenbostel, who said he "sees the bad side of this," gave his thoughts on the topic of teen alcohol use, specifically driving under the influence.
"Part of my job is to knock on a parent's door at 3 a.m. and invite myself in and tell a parent their child has died in an automobile accident," he said.
Smith said adults are liable for anything youths do after leaving a party where underage drinking has been taking place. That includes both civil and criminal penalties, punitive damages and attorney's fees.
"I think the more they know, the less likely (teens) are to engage in that behavior," he said.
The forum was organized by Dennis Trask, youth prevention coordinator at the Human Service Center. Teen alcohol use rates are higher in Randolph County (53 percent in 2014) than both the state (44.4 percent) and national (37.4 percent) average and a coalition has been formed to combat the problem.
Nationally, by age 15, more than 50 percent of teens have had at least one drink, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
In 2009, 10.4 million people ages 12 to 20 reported that they drank alcohol beyond "just a few sips" in the past month.
The Randolph County coalition has been working on assessments, helped by a $75,000 per year grant that can be extended up to five years, and is hoping to submit those results to the Department of Human Services by mid-November.
Trask said that information will help the coalition develop strategies to help combat the problem. He highlighted the success the coalition concept had in Tazwell County (in the Peoria area) in decreasing teen DUIs.
"We're in a process," Trask said. "I think we can be successful. It's gotten off to a good start, but it will take time."
Monday's event was the second of three town halls, with the final one occurring at Sparta High School on Tuesday. Red Bud conducted its version on Oct. 18.
For more information on the coalition, contact Trask at 618-282-6233 Ext. 126 or d.trask@humanservicegroup.com.