School defends drunken driving hoax

OCEANSIDE, California (AP) -- On a Monday morning last month, highway patrol officers visited 20 classrooms at El Camino High School to announce some horrible news: Several students had been killed in car wrecks over the weekend.

Classmates wept. Some became hysterical.

A few hours and many tears later, though, the pain turned to fury when the teenagers learned that it was all a hoax, a scared-straight exercise designed by school officials to dramatize the consequences of drinking and driving.

As seniors prepare for graduation parties Friday, school officials in the largely prosperous San Diego, California, suburb are defending themselves against allegations that they went too far.

At school assemblies, some students held posters that read, "Death is real. Don't play with our emotions."

Michelle de Gracia, 16, was in physics class when an officer announced that her missing classmate David, a popular basketball player, had died instantly after being rear-ended by a drunken driver. She said she felt nauseated but was too stunned to cry.

"They got the shock they wanted," she said.

Some of her classmates became extremely upset, prompting the teacher to tell them immediately that it was all staged.

"People started yelling at the teacher," she said. "It was pretty hectic."

Others, including many who heard the news of the 26 deaths between classes, were left in the dark until the missing students reappeared hours later.

"You feel betrayed by your teachers and administrators, these people you trust," said 15-year-old Carolyn Magos. "But then I felt selfish for feeling that way, because, I mean, if it saves one life, it's worth it."

Officials at the 3,100-student school defended the program.

"They were traumatized, but we wanted them to be traumatized," said guidance counselor Lori Tauber, who helped organize the shocking exercise and got dozens of students to participate. "That's how they get the message."

The plan was to tell the truth to the students at an assembly later in the day. But word that it was all a hoax began to spread before the gathering. Tauber said some counselors and administrators revealed the truth to calm some students who had become upset.

Oceanside Schools Superintendent Larry Perondi said he fielded only a few calls from parents, and the PTA chapter said it had not heard any complaints. Perondi said the program would be revised, but he would not say how. And he said he was glad that students seemed to have gotten the message.

"We did this in earnest," he said. "This was not done to be a prankster."




I especially loathe this quote, "...if it saves one life, it's worth it." Too many stupid decisions/laws are made based on that premise. And why 26 deaths? WTF? Did they tell them the grim reaper was running loose?

No justification can be made for such an act. And people wonder why home schooling is so popular. If my kids weren't already grown, there's no way I'd allow them in most public schools these days.

These kids will forget all about it, just like they do when the kids *really* die from drunk driving accidents. We've had a few around here over the years.

Ask these kids after prom when they're getting bombed if they are thinking about the classroom presentation....I think not.

Matthew

This is truly upsetting to me. I'm so upset I think I should go have a drink to calm down a little.

For Tommy...to ease your troubled heart:



Matthew

on the other side of the tracks from me live the Drs and ;awyers....if this stunt was pulled in our school dist the lawyers would sue the admins so bad for their kid's post traumatic stress they'd have to tax me right out of my house to pay the lawsuits. that was not a good idea.

that's wack. I mean wack.

An example of the system (schools) trying to do what good parenting should be doing, but isn't.

So what would they have done if it caused a cardiac arrest?

WOW, our tax dollars at work

It would not suprise me if my old highschool pulled some stunt like that...