Issaquah Students Face 90-Day Suspension and Possible Criminal Charges for Drinking at Homecoming

Finding a way to sneak alcohol into homecoming or prom dances has been an American tradition since high school and booze were invented. As a student, getting caught for such antics has always carried risks.

A 90-day suspension and possible criminal charges, however, has typically not been among those risks.

But that's exactly what a group of Issaquah High School students are facing for supposedly getting wasted on a "party bus" before the dance.

The Issaquah Press reports:

Under district rules for student conduct, first-time offenders face emergency expulsion followed by a suspension of up to 90 days for alcohol infractions. Students facing emergency expulsion can agree to complete a disciplinary program and earn back credit for all but 10 of the suspension days. The punishment for repeat offenders is expulsion from the district.

Behrbaum said at least some of the students face criminal charges as minors in possession for bringing alcohol onto school grounds. Police must catch underage drinkers in the act in order to arrest someone for being a minor in possession.

The students apparently got the alcohol by convincing the party-bus driver to buy it for them. That driver now faces criminal charges of contributing to the delinquency of minors.

To be sure, the students didn't just take a couple quick shots of hooch to work up their courage. Witnesses have told of severely drunk teenagers, some barfing on themselves.

Still, a 90-day suspension and the heavy involvement of Issaquah Police Department, grilling students at the school and ferreting out all those involved for possible criminal charges, seems a bit much.

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