Top Fairfax Law Enforcement Officials At Langley Tonight

Fairfax County's top law enforcement officials will appear at Langley High school tonight to warn parents about the dangers of college binge drinking at the beginning of the prom and graduation season.

Raymond F. Morrogh, commonwealth’s attorney for Fairfax County;Fairfax County Police Chief Dave Rohrer and Capt. Bruce Ferguson, commander of the Youth Services Division, will headline the speakers that also include Dr. William Hauda, an emergency physician from Inova Fairfax Hospital, and Jeff Levy, the father of a student who died following drinking at a college party.

HAZE: The Perils of College Drinking. All junior, senior, and their parents are encouraged to attend. "It’s a must see with your teen before he or she leaves for college," said notices from the  Family Network committee of the Langley PTSA, which is sponsoring the meeting.

The event features a screening of the award-winning documentary "HAZE" – a graphically-told true story about the death of a freshman at the University of Colorado. The film serves as a way to open the eyes of attendees by putting a realistic face on college campus drinking issues. "Fairfax County's top law enforcement officials come to Langley High School tonight to alert parents to the danger of college drinking at the beginning of the prom and graduation season," said the announcement on the police website.

“Langley has one of highest rates of binge drinking, alcohol and marijuana use,” based on the most recent county youth survey, said Betsy Shomaker,chair of the Family Network committee of the Langley PTSA, last year at a similar meeting. She is the mother of a Langley student.

“There is a culture here in McLean  that it is ... OK to experiment with drinking (at home) so kids will be 'safe' in college. But kids develop a tolerance for alcohol, which leads to more dangerous levels of college drinking,” she said a year ago.

Why you should care about this if you have no children: Any of us could be hit by a teenager high or drunk behind the wheel of the family vehicle.

The same forum will be held:

   • Tuesday, May 24, 7-9 p.m. Providence Presbyterian Church, 9019 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax
   • Wednesday, July 20, 7-9 p.m. West Springfield High School Spartan Hall, 6100 Rolling Road, Springfield
   • Wednesday, July 27, 7-9 p.m. Westfield High School Auditorium, 4700 Stonecroft Boulevard, Chantilly

This film and panel discussion will provide an important beginning to a discussion every family should have before their student leaves for college later this summer. Police recommend that parents find time in their busy schedule to attend this important forum. There are several dates/locations, no reservation is required and all are welcome to attend, with or without their teen, police said.

The forums are a collaborative effort and presented by the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County Public Schools and its Countywide Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking, the Fairfax County Police Department and the Safe Community Coalition. For more information, contact Lucy Caldwell at the Fairfax County Police Department at 703-246-3271 or visit the Unified Prevention Coalition website.

Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Start Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location:Langley High School  Auditorium, 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean