By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Students and their dates attending the Princeton High School prom next month will need to take a breathalyzer test before being allowed in, a step being used for the second year in a row to combat underage drinking.
The policy, one that the Princeton School Board put in place, followed what others schools in the country had been doing on prom night. It was done here in response to a problem that Princeton had had with alcohol-related issues at prior school-related events.
All but two prom-goers attending last year complied with the policy, and the two who didn’t said they had refused on Constitutional grounds, according to news reports. They were denied entry to as a result of their refusal.
Superintendent of Schools Judith A. Wilson said Wednesday that administrators would be giving the test at prom, scheduled for May 23 starting at 7 p.m. Prom-goers must breathe into a handheld device.
Aside from the prom, she said breath tests are administered at the “Princeton Cotillion,” a non-district sanctioned dance held in the winter and run by parents of the local public and private schools.
