Three weeks ago, the school was abuzz with whispered rumors of an administration-powered investigation into underage drinking. As classroom phones continued to ring and talk of suspensions reached the ears of the student body, TV news trucks were lining up down Valley View Road.
According to principal Conn McCartan, this chain of events began when the high school administration received an anonymous CD in the mail. The CD showed pictures of EPHS students in possession of and consuming illegal substances, which McCartan said was almost exclusively alcohol. The administration then went through each picture and worked to identify all current students. Under the guidance of the Minnesota State High School League, or MSHSL, and district legal counsel, 42 students were questioned. The MSHSL is responsible for regulating most of the academic and athletic competition between Minnesota high schools.
The administration takes action Rumors quickly circulated in the absence of an official release, which was withheld until the conclusion of the investigation. Some media sources reported that up to 107 students might face punishment, when in reality only 13 received some form of discipline. In accordance with MSHSL contracts, which require that participants refrain from use of alcohol, some of the students disciplined were part of a team or organization where they had signed such a contract. Others were found to be drinking at school-sponsored events.
Although the school only disciplined those students in activities which included a contract, McCartan said the homes of each of the 42 students were contacted and parents were informed of chemical counseling services provided by the school. Although she was not pictured drinking or in possession of alcohol, senior Macall Stone was questioned by the school because she appeared in one photo. She was not punished, but her parents were called by the school. “I think it was fair for them to confront me, but not necessarily right for them to call my parents,” said Stone, adding that as a consequence she has “lost the trust of my parents.”
The scale of penalties received by the 13 students depended on the activity in which he or she was involved, according to McCartan. The MSHSL imposes a suspension of two contests or two weeks, whichever is greater, for a first offense. Other school organizations are governed by by-laws or constitutions that call for responses such as loss of membership or loss of a leadership position.
Although it is widely accepted that the photos were obtained through the popular social networking site Facebook, this was not specified on the CD. The basis for this belief, said McCartan, is that some students who were questioned identified them as possibly coming from Facebook.
Opinions clash over actions taken McCartan said he believes the administration handled the situation well and did what they were “duty-bound to do.” He added that “when students are involved in this type of situation and have signed agreements, we have to follow up on that.”
Many students agree that the situation was handled appropriately. “They did the right thing by punishing those students, and the students deserved any and all punishment they received,” said sophomore John Moen. Senior Brady Mason agreed, saying that “the students violated a contract; it was as simple as that.”
Of the students who were opposed to the administration’s action, some walked out the day after McCartan addressed the school regarding the findings of the investigation. According to District Spokeswoman Camie Melton Hanily in a comment to the “Star Tribune”, staff counted 15 students leaving the campus without permission. The protest was organized by junior Nick Laurent as a way for students to express “that we don’t think this is fair, for whatever reason.” Laurent also had his personal reasons for leaving school that day. “When some of them [the pictures] are two or three years old and kids are losing scholarships and captainships, that is not the right way to deal with it,” he said. McCartan said he does not believe any of the disciplined students participated in the walkout.
Students on the other side of the argument have a more pessimistic outlook of the walkout. “The walkout was laughable at best,” said Mason. Moen believes it even reflected poorly on the school. “The few people who did participate in the walkout have made our school look horrible because of their rash actions,” he said.
EPHS thrust into national spotlight In regards to the relatively high profile of the investigation, which has garnered attention from media sources including “5 Eyewitness News”, the “Star Tribune”, CNN and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, McCartan said most of the hype has been caused by such off-campus press coverage. “We are not the first school that has done this,” he said. “The reason this is so big is because of the media.”
Other responses have been just as passionate. Mason called the incident the “nail in the coffin” when it comes to EPHS’ reputation. “People view Eden Prairie as a spoiled community where the kids don't feel there should be retribution for their actions. This incident only furthers that assumption. Of course it's not true for all of the students, but assumptions never include all parties present,” he said.
Laurent also wishes that the situation would die down. “I wanted it to get attention,” he said of the walkout, “but now that it is on a national stage, I think everyone just wants it to go away.”
Although the school has said it will not extend its hand into the social networking scene, McCartan said that if similar material is brought to their attention this “definitely could happen again.”
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