Students approached Poway High’s front gates in bright and glowing outfits, ready to dance the night away at MORP. As students got to the gates, they were asked to speak into what looked like a flashlight, saying their grade and full name. 

Lots of students were left confused about the purpose of this flashlight interrogation. After a while, the questions spread, and the students realized it was a breathalyzer. Every student was breathalyzed before entering, which was different from previous years, where the administration would pick and choose who to breathalyze. 

That is the issue I have with the breathalyzers at school events, and I support the new changes that require every student to be breathalyzed instead of just some.  When the Administration picks and chooses who to breathalyze, they are profiling students. It is unfair to use breathalyzers when they’re not used for every student. 

 Student safety is the administration’s top priority this year, and drugs and alcohol compromise the safety and fun of students. There should be enforcement, as many students drive themselves to dances, so there should be checks to ensure the safety of all students. 

While breathalyzing is not new to any of the schools in the Poway district, for Poway High, breathalyzer testing at every dance for every participant is new here.

Administrators plan to enforce this at all upcoming dances, including Homecoming and Prom. 

“A safe and sober event is what we aim for all of our students, and I think MORP was a great event; students had fun, and we were able to make sure the health and safety were preserved,” Principal Jonathan Penuliar said. 

I think MORP was a great introduction to consistent breathalyzing and agree with the Administration’s change in policy from previous years to keep all students safe.