Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) high school football stadiums will sport new banners this fall encouraging parents and adults in the community to report underage drinking parties to the police. The banners, donated by the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC), are a part of the UPC’s Parents Who Host, Lose the Most education campaign.
While there has been a decline in reported alcohol use by high school seniors from 2005 to 2010, the 2010-11 Fairfax County Youth Survey showed that 36.5 percent of high school seniors report they have used alcohol in the past 30 days and 20.5 percent reporting binge drinking during the past two weeks.
The main message of the campaign encourages parents and adults to support alcohol-free events and to report parties with suspected underage drinking to police. Parents and adults may call 703-691-2131; these calls can be anonymous.
Each FCPS high school has received a banner for its football stadium and gym, as well as Parents Who Host (PWH) fact cards about underage drinking laws with tips for parents for distribution at parent events, PWH posters for school offices frequented by parents, a poster on risks of underage drinking for posting in student areas, and a print advertisement for homecoming and football programs and for school and booster club websites.
The nonprofit UPC partners with more than 50 community organizations to prevent violence, alcohol, and other drug use by youth and young adults.