Three Students Denied Entrance to Prom Over Alcohol Use

Three Kings Park students were barred from entering the senior prom Wednesday evening at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Westbury due to alcohol use, according to Kings Park School Superintendent Susan Agruso.

“We are following the school’s code of conduct and eligbility policy in terms of how we deal these issues,” said Agruso.

All students attending prom were required to sign a statement agreeing to the no alcohol policy and parents were required to attend a meeting about legal issues involving drinking and the school’s drinking policy. According to Agruso, only then did students receive their tickets to prom.

Under the school’s current discipline policy, a student who is found to be in possession of alcohol or attending school or  a school-sponsored event under the influence of alcohol or drugs can be suspended from school or require a hearing with the superintendent.

"We are very serious about this. It is an important issue for us. We enforce it and sometimes that enforcement is very difficult for us and the students but it is one we uphold," said Agruso.

In fact, the district is eyeing an even stricter code of conduct. The board of education is in the midst of revising its code so that any student who attends school or a school-sponsored event uder the influence of alcohol or drugs will automtically be suspended for one calendar year. The board will vote on this policy change at the July 12 board meeting.