Curbing Underage Drinking in Burbank
BURBANK -- It's an age old question with no easy answers: how to put a stop to underage drinking. And it's why Burbank parents gathered together Wednesday evening to come up with a solution.
Results from the statewide Healthy Youth survey show 40-50% of kids in the 10th and 12th grades used alcohol in the last 30 days.
Parents and even police admit it's a growing problem, especially in the smaller, more rural communities.
DARE Officer Ian Edwards routinely patrols Waitsburg, Burbank, Touchet. He says, "They just don't have skate parks, they don't have a dirt bike track."
And Burbank mom Irma Avalos agrees. "There's no activities going on, so they do tend to get bored."
So experts from the Educational Service District 123 urged parents to sit down and talk with their kids. Sarah Crow says, "It can be over the dinner table, have a father-son night, a mother-daughter night, and casually bring it up."
She adds the most important thing is to keep the lines of communication open, "So kids end up hearing the message from the entire community."
Results from the statewide Healthy Youth survey show 40-50% of kids in the 10th and 12th grades used alcohol in the last 30 days.
Parents and even police admit it's a growing problem, especially in the smaller, more rural communities.
DARE Officer Ian Edwards routinely patrols Waitsburg, Burbank, Touchet. He says, "They just don't have skate parks, they don't have a dirt bike track."
And Burbank mom Irma Avalos agrees. "There's no activities going on, so they do tend to get bored."
So experts from the Educational Service District 123 urged parents to sit down and talk with their kids. Sarah Crow says, "It can be over the dinner table, have a father-son night, a mother-daughter night, and casually bring it up."
She adds the most important thing is to keep the lines of communication open, "So kids end up hearing the message from the entire community."
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