Deleted
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Jun 14, 2024 15:18:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2017 10:59:21 GMT
We have the same program here. It's not done during school though, and it's open to anyone in the community. It's been held during the time freshman get their driving permits (all high school freshman go through the permit phase at the same time each year). While not mandatory, the freshman will get extra credit for going (at least for the past several years that's is how it's been done).
I think it should be a mandatory step for kids to get their driver's license. Kids are exposed to, and experimenting with, drugs and alcohol a lot younger than their junior/senior years. Hopefully the experience would stop not only someone from drinking and driving, but would also remind others to not get in a car with a drunk driver.
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Post by littlemama on May 4, 2017 11:05:39 GMT
Of course it is shocking and upsetting. It is meant to be. If they explained it before hand, it would lose the shock value. They had counselors on site for the kids who needed them. Great program, some adults need to see it, too.
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YooHoot
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Jun 26, 2014 3:11:50 GMT
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Post by YooHoot on May 4, 2017 11:09:48 GMT
We call then Freshmen Impact Days. They do all sorts of demonstrations. We are notified that we might hear sirens etc around the school but not the content. I feel like we have to do something. If it saves ONE life. It did the job it was supposed to do.
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tduby1
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Jun 27, 2014 18:32:45 GMT
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Post by tduby1 on May 4, 2017 11:09:53 GMT
There has been a programme of awareness here that uses the actual car from an incident so that people can see the damage. Obviously there is no blood and gore, but it has done a lot to remind everyone how vulnerable they are in a vehicle. If your child was upset, then I am sorry. But I don't think the school should shy away from the devastating impact that drunk and drug driving has. You will never know how many lives this might have saved. About 30 years ago, a local high school brought the actual car four teens were killed in (three students of that school, one a student at my school) with the victims' parents' permission and put it right in front of the school and left it the entire year. I'm not sure what the impact was but I can't help but think it had to have been great. Alcohol was a factor.
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Dalai Mama
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Jun 26, 2014 0:31:31 GMT
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Post by Dalai Mama on May 4, 2017 11:12:33 GMT
We didn't have anything like this at our school. Instead, we had Tracey, one of the brightest, most promising students who left a party we were all at and wrapped her car around a tree.
For the rest of our time in high school we got a front row seat to her struggles, learning to navigate in her wheelchair, then relearning how to walk and talk.
On the plus side, I don't think there were many other schools more anti- drinking and driving than we were but I think we all would have preferred the reenactment.
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Post by shannoots on May 4, 2017 11:13:06 GMT
They are JUNIORS and SENIORS. Most have seen things that are just as graphic on TV. There is probably a good amount that have tried alcohol. When will parents stop shielding them from the realities of life?
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on May 4, 2017 11:39:58 GMT
Ok. I guess it's just me. I imagine it was quite shocking for the kids. It was their intention I'm guessing. If you had no idea or weren't expecting something like this I can see why you are shocked. I think it is a really effective tool. I hope your kid was not too traumatized by it
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on May 4, 2017 11:42:28 GMT
We didn't have anything like this at our school. Instead, we had Tracey, one of the brightest, most promising students who left a party we were all at and wrapped her car around a tree. For the rest of our time in high school we got a front row seat to her struggles, learning to navigate in her wheelchair, then relearning how to walk and talk. On the plus side, I don't think there were many other schools more anti- drinking and driving than we were but I think we all would have preferred the reenactment. Yes this is similar to my experience. Except it was John, he is still in his wheelchair. Not only did we see what he went through, but the complete falling apart of the kid who was driving the car.
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Peamac
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Post by Peamac on May 4, 2017 12:06:00 GMT
I thought a lot of high schools did that. Sadly, a couple of weeks ago (on Good Friday) a high school senior (NOT DRUNK) was killed by a 40-50 year old DRUNK driver. It was around 7 or 7:30 at night, so not even dark yet. I wish something could be done to keep adults from drinking and driving.
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Sarah*H
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Jun 25, 2014 20:07:06 GMT
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Post by Sarah*H on May 4, 2017 12:13:30 GMT
And I'm sorry but that's just not how life works. Life is not a safe space. These are high school kids, not pre-teens or young children. They made counselors available to the kids who lacked the ability to process it in healthy ways. Take a random sampling of this board and see how many people have lost loved ones due to drinking and driving. Do a cursory investigation of how many teens die in the US each year because of this issue. This public health and safety issue is a bigger concern for the school district than the handful of kids made uncomfortable by being exposed to the reality of drunk driving.
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pyccku
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Jun 27, 2014 23:12:07 GMT
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Post by pyccku on May 4, 2017 12:21:19 GMT
We've done this at my HS. It's been a few years, but it did have an impact. The kids - I don't want to say enjoyed it, but they were interested and informed and paid attention. At that age, they know how to get up and leave. Every one of them knows where they can go to chill when they need a break, but very few chose to sit out the assembly.
We had the helicopter. We had the fire truck, ambulance, accident scene investigator. The parents of the 'dead' girl and the 'driver' were even part of it. They had the police make the notifications to both sets of parents and it was gut-wrenching to see and hear the anguish - and these were people who knew it was fake!
There are kids who would never drive drunk, and there are kids who will do so no matter how many assemblies you show them. There are also a lot of kids in the middle - kids who might have gotten in that car with a friend who has been drinking rather than standing up to them and taking their keys. There are kids who can imagine the loss, but have no clue that for the families involved, this is only the beginning of several years of pain.
One of my former students was involved in a car crash his senior year. He was driving. They had been out late and everyone was tired. He drowsed off and ended up hitting a light pole. He was uninjured, but his friend in the passenger seat - not wearing a seat belt - and was killed. My student was seriously messed up, it put him into a pretty bad depression. If his friend had been wearing a seat belt, he absolutely would have had only minor injuries. So they all made bad choices - to drive when tired, but also to not wear a seat belt. That decision is STILL haunting the surviving student to this day - 4 years later. If an assembly like this can get kids to consider making better choices, you could save lives.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on May 4, 2017 12:29:30 GMT
Much of what I would have replied has been written already. I'll just go on record as approving the use of these types of graphic programs as deterrents to possibly catastrophic behavior. It does not surprise me that some kids can't handle it, but I agree that we cannot cater to every possible "trigger" when the greater public good is at stake.
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Post by supersoda on May 4, 2017 12:30:12 GMT
Ok. I guess it's just me. Nope. I'll verify you. There should be an opt out option. I appreciate the intent, but this is a parenting issue. I opted my oldest DD out of this program. She was very anxious about driving and I knew this would be too much for her. I also know my kid and her attitudes about drinking in general and drinking and driving ( and no, I'm not naive about my precious snowflake), and we've had many discussions about what to do in a situation where people are drinking. It sounds like most parents are ok with this program, and that's great. I wouldn't opt my younger kids out--I think it is valuable and impactful. But it wasn't appropriate for my oldest.
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Post by melanell on May 4, 2017 12:37:08 GMT
We didn't have anything like this at our school. Instead, we had Tracey, one of the brightest, most promising students who left a party we were all at and wrapped her car around a tree. For the rest of our time in high school we got a front row seat to her struggles, learning to navigate in her wheelchair, then relearning how to walk and talk. On the plus side, I don't think there were many other schools more anti- drinking and driving than we were but I think we all would have preferred the reenactment. Yes this is similar to my experience. Except it was John, he is still in his wheelchair. Not only did we see what he went through, but the complete falling apart of the kid who was driving the car. This is I think the part that kids really don't anticipate. They never grasp what it would be like to be in an accident and see your friends terribly injured or killed and be the one who somehow gets to walk away. When juniors in my class were in a crash and one died, the other two who lived were just a mess. One was the driver and one was sitting in the back seat along with the student who died. The other passenger had a concussion and some lacerations, but was otherwise fine physically; but emotionally and mentally---nowhere close to fine. Save
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kelly8875
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Oct 26, 2014 17:02:56 GMT
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Post by kelly8875 on May 4, 2017 12:38:03 GMT
It happens around here. I graduated in 1993, and we did this back then too. Just like the gross movies in drivers ed.
Kids need those visuals.
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Post by KikiPea on May 4, 2017 12:39:20 GMT
Prom is this weekend. My kids high school had a mandatory assembly for all Jr's and Sr' s. They went outside where they showed them exactly...and very graphically....what happens in a head on collision caused by drunk driving. They cut the people out of bloodsoaked cars, put them into body bags, had the coroner pronounce them dead. Performed CPR on a passenger....had the helicopter land at the school and pick up the passenger. A lot of kids were in tears. It was graphic enough that the school felt the need to make counselors available as part of this program. There is no opt out option. They did not even notify the parents that this was coming. In order to teach a lesson, they traumatized two grades worth of teenagers. Am I wrong to think this was too far? All the schools did this when we were in school. I don't think it's too far, at all. It's reality. With all of the deadly accidents we've had around here, teens need to be made aware of consequences of bad decisions. Teens don't get parental consent to see an accident it real life. They also don't get to opt out. I think parents coddle kids way too much these days.
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Post by pondrunner on May 4, 2017 12:48:13 GMT
My preference would be to give a bit of consideration to kids who may find such things triggering such as those who have lost a family member in an accident, we have several such children in our school and try to be careful about what we say in front of them.
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Post by KikiPea on May 4, 2017 12:48:48 GMT
I'm sorry....but assuming that every student in the student body can handle this....that none of them have lost someone that way, or have been in a dramatic accident, or that they are all in an emotionally stable place to begin with so that they can process this in a healthy way is bullshit.I agree with what I bolded. I am all for anti-drunk-driving campaigns, but what the OP described would have sent my dd to a mental crisis center. Some people have triggers. All parents should have been notified and given consent to this type of program. They had councelors on hand for this very reason. They would be in the same situation, if it were real life.
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Gravity
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Jun 27, 2014 0:29:55 GMT
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Post by Gravity on May 4, 2017 12:49:59 GMT
I have no problem with it. My community lived through the reality of a horrific drunk teen driving accident thanks to the "affluenza" teen. If it keeps even one teen from driving drunk or getting in the car with a drunk driver, then it's worth it.
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Post by pondrunner on May 4, 2017 12:58:19 GMT
I agree with what I bolded. I am all for anti-drunk-driving campaigns, but what the OP described would have sent my dd to a mental crisis center. Some people have triggers. All parents should have been notified and given consent to this type of program. They had councelors on hand for this very reason. They would be in the same situation, if it were real life. Having counselors on hand is cleaning up your damage after the fact, it means they knew this was too far for some kids but they did it anyway, this is poor from an ethical standpoint in which the impact to human participants must be considered in all activities.
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Post by hop2 on May 4, 2017 12:58:51 GMT
Our school does this every other year. And in order to get a parking pass parents have to attend a parent segment where a video of this is shown. Our Local police run the program. They bring crashed cars in and there are people, usually popular ones, who act the parts of the victims. Someone 'dies' every time and usually someone is 'arrested' as well. And somehow they are quickly sentence by the end if the day loosing everything and going to jail. It's always someone who has lots of scholarship money to loose. They continue thru the school day 'taking' one person every 'x' seconds whatever the rate of drunk driving deaths is. The person 'taken' gets a black t shirt and can not speak or participate the rest of the day. And then there is an assembly the next day it starts out as a memorial for the person who 'died' and progresses to the police presenting their case about not drunk driving. Believe it or not they did something similar once when my sister was in high school back in the 80's but it was not an annual thing. I support it, it makes the statistics real to the kids. Life sucks, people driving drunk or high kills people. My sister is dead, killed by some asshat so high he had no idea he hit her head on. A little pretend trauma will help them remember when they are out with friends and the choice comes up. Perhaps they'll choose a designated driver, mass transit, or ride share apps. Perhaps they will save some ones else's sister.
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Deleted
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Jun 14, 2024 15:18:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2017 13:03:32 GMT
I've thought about this some more--these kids are juniors and seniors. A lot of them will be heading off to college in a few months. I can sympathize and understand there might be some kids that wouldn't do well after seeing this. I do still believe the intention to shock, scare, and hopefully make some kids think before drinking/using drugs and driving is a valuable lesson.
A few years ago a local boy, 17 (a senior I believe), was driving thru a parking lot, drunk, and drove thru the front of a Target store. Fortunately nobody else was hurt. The boy, however, was paralyzed, went thru surgery after surgery for a year or so after. He had complications, and within the past year died.
Every school should have this, and it should be mandatory.
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Post by Merge on May 4, 2017 13:05:41 GMT
As long as kids had the option to leave if it was too much and were not held captive in the area, I don't see the big deal.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2017 13:09:36 GMT
Our school does this every other year. And in order together a parking pass parents have to attend a parent segment where a video of this is shown. Our Local police run the program. The bring crashed cars in and there are people, usually popular ones, who act the parts of the victims. Someone 'dies' every time and usually someone is 'arrested' as well. And somehow they are quickly sentence by the end if the day loosing everything and going to jail. It's always someone who has lots of scholarship money to loose. They continue thru the school day 'taking' one person every 'x' seconds whatever the rate of drunk driving deaths is. The person 'taken' gets a black t shirt and can not speak or participate the rest of the day. And then there is an assembly the next day it starts out as a memorial for the person who 'died' and progresses to the police presenting their case about not drunk driving. Believe it or not they did something similar once when my sister was in high school back in the 80's but it was not an annual thing. I support it, it makes the statistics real to the kids. Life sucks, people driving stick or high kills people. My sister is dead, killed by some asshat so high he had no idea he hit her head on. A little pretend trauma will help them remember when they are out with friends and the choice comes up. Perhaps they'll choose a designated driver, mass transit, or ride share apps. Perhaps they will save some ones else's sister. I'm so sorry about your sister and your family's loss.
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Post by KikiPea on May 4, 2017 13:16:29 GMT
They had councelors on hand for this very reason. They would be in the same situation, if it were real life. Having counselors on hand is cleaning up your damage after the fact, it means they knew this was too far for some kids but they did it anyway, this is poor from an ethical standpoint in which the impact to human participants must be considered in all activities. Again, no one has the option to not see a real accident. They did what they did to make an impact. It works.
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NoWomanNoCry
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Jun 25, 2014 21:53:42 GMT
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Post by NoWomanNoCry on May 4, 2017 13:23:52 GMT
People bitch and complain when schools don't do anything about things going on and when they actually do do something people still complain 🙄.
I went through this in HS and I agree with the ones who said it should be a requirement before teens getting their DLs. Even if it means that it will only stick with them for a year or two at least it's a year or two they are being responsible and not risking their life or someone else's.
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milocat
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Mar 18, 2015 4:10:31 GMT
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Post by milocat on May 4, 2017 13:38:33 GMT
Drinking and driving is rampant here, by people of all ages. I wish they would show something this traumatic, to the adults too. Last year evrn though there was safe grad (where they bus you out to let you drink) in a neighboyring community a couple of kids went the next night got drunk, had an accident. One died and one was paralyzed.
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Post by craftedbys on May 4, 2017 13:38:40 GMT
I think these are great programs and hopefully will save some lives.
BUT
I also believe that parents should be given notice that this would be taking place and have the chance to opt their child out. They know their child best and if they could handle seeing something like that.
Personally, I would opt my DD out, she is 19 and finishing her freshman year of college, but she still doesn't have her drivers license because of anxiety issues. If she were to see something so graphic it would ensure that she never got behind the wheel of a car. Ever.
A few months ago I ran into a friend and her DD who is a high school senior. Mom was telling me her DD doesn't drive either. Why? Because her school did the graphic reenactment when she was a sophomore (without parental notice) and while she did walk away halfway through, it upset her to the point that she doesn't drive and was in tears talking about it two years later.
Not every young person is emotionally equipped to handle seeing something like that. It doesn't make them special snowflakes like it has been suggested. Some kids are just sensitive to things like that.
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Post by crazy4scraps on May 4, 2017 13:48:28 GMT
Every single year in my state there are news reports of at least 4-6 high school kids that die between prom and graduation. Every year. And most of them are the kids that live out in the suburbs or rural areas where public transportation is very limited. Kids do a LOT of stupid stuff without really thinking things through. If this kind of program makes even one kid stop and think before doing something dumb it would be worth the shock factor.
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Post by Tamhugh on May 4, 2017 13:50:01 GMT
I think that part of why they don't tell the parents is because they know word will get out to the kids. It is meant to be a total shock and surprise to have any impact.
Our school did it when my oldest was a senior. He and his friends did not take the first day as seriously because they used all of the drama students to act it out. DS said that because they were used to seeing them in plays, it felt like just another play. But on Day 2 here, the seniors were all taken to the auditorium for a funeral. One of the boys "killed" in the enactment was a boy that DS had grown up playing sports and going to school with since kindergarten. When his mom delivered the eulogy, it hit hard. DS said that was the point where the whole thing affected him.
Here, the program is called Operation Arrive Alive. That is the only year we did it. I don't know how much of an impact it actually has, but I will say that DS and his peers are 100% better about drinking and driving than our generation was. They always have a DD when they go out or they use Uber. When younger DS was still under age, some of DS#1's friends would pay him to pick them up from local bars.
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