Lake View High School - Chieftain Yearbook (San Angelo, TX)

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Page 26: 1. Displayed here are some commonly used items of teenagers. 2. Mr. Meek discusses the drinking problem. 3. On campus police officer Clay Emert patrols the parking lot. 4. One of the local drive-throughs. Page 27: 1. Two students, Terri Baker and Clifford Ashley, notice the beer cans in tront of LV. 26 Student Life 455 .W Y.. ..,.,. i .....,, 1 5 3 Q ol, - s---- M : V I

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Legislature Changes Drinking Age High school campuses and alcohol seem to mix worse than oil and water, or, that's what the Texas State Legislature thinks. Keeping the two apart was the main objective of the law effective Sept. 1 of last year raising the Texas drinking age from 18 to 19. lt's definitely helped us, said Mr. Bob Meek, assistant principal. He said that there was a slight problem with students coming back from lunch with alcohol before the law was passed, but now there is little or no problem. According to Mr. Jim Smith, a police officer at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, possession of alcohol on public school grounds is illegal and a Class C misdemeanor, no matter how old the person is or if the person is a student or not. He said he disagrees with students using the fact that they disagree with the law to justify their own illegal drinking. lf you don't like a law, you don't violate it, Mr. Smith said, you work politically to change it. Senator Bill Sarpalius didn't agree with the 18- year-old age limit in Texas, so he introduced a bill to raise it to 19. The bill passed, taking effect on Sept. 1, also leaving only 10 states with a minimum drinking age as low as 18. According to representatives from local liquor stores, many teens under 19 still try to buy alcohol, but most stores check only driver's licenses to eliminate the possibility of fake identification. A worker at Pinkie's liquor store said the law has negatively affected their business considerably, but workers at Roy's liquor store and Party Barn said that not much change has been noticed. Whether youth agree with the law or not, they should consider long-term consequences, according to Mr. Meek, and not be short-sighted. His main concern was that drinking among seniors might have a negative influence on the underclassmen. The less amount of exposure they have to beer or drugs, Mr. Meek said, the less likely they are to become involved in it. Student Life 27