Headmaster: 'Walker does not condone the underage use of alcohol'
by Kim Isaza
kisaza@mdjonline.com
February 24, 2010 01:00 AM | 2547 views | 36 36 comments | 36 36 recommendations | email to a friend | print
MARIETTA - Walker School Headmaster Don Robertson sent a letter to parents last week regarding the underage drinking party that police broke up at the home of Marietta lawyer Diane Busch on Dec. 22.

"Many of you have seen the accounts of an incident that occurred at the home of a Walker parent that involved Walker students and the use of alcohol," Robertson wrote to parents on Feb. 19. "The incident took place on December 22 when the school was on holiday break. ... I have received reports that there were eighteen Walker students assembled together when the police arrived. All were given breathalyzer tests and it was discovered that ten of the students had consumed alcohol and eight had not. The ten who consumed alcohol were cited by the police and may face legal consequences for their behavior.

"Let me make it clear that Walker does not condone the underage use of alcohol. It is against the law and considered to be a major violation of school rules," Robertson wrote.

However, there isn't much the school can do since the party was not related to any school-sanctioned event, he wrote.

"Due to the fact that it is impossible for the school to monitor our students during holidays, weekends, and over the summer, our comportment policy applies to our students when they are on campus, at any school activity, or on the way to any school activity. Understand that when students are not in our care, we don't ignore unacceptable behavior. When we become aware of factual information that involves our students' behavior when they are not under our supervision, we contact appropriate parents and share our knowledge with them. It is often assumed that we are aware of everything that happens. This is not the case. We often find out about inappropriate events from parents who call to see that we are informed. I urge you to follow that practice," Robertson wrote.

"The youth of America are threatened on a regular basis by the use of alcohol and drugs. It is essential that parents, teachers, school officials, and law enforcement work together to face this challenge. Several parents have told me that they are using this event as an opportunity to discuss with their children the impact their behavior can have on their family, friends, and the school," he wrote.

He concluded, "It is an opportunity to turn a horrible situation into a teachable moment."

Walker is a private school at Cobb Parkway and Allgood Road in Marietta, offering grade pre-kindergarten through high school. Walker has 367 students enrolled in its high school, where the annual tuition is $17,175.

Under the "Comportment," or behavior, section of Walker's student handbook are seven "major school rules," including: students will not lie, cheat, steal, or enable others to do so; and, students will not use or possess tobacco, matches, alcohol, non-prescription drugs, or dangerous objects on campus or at school functions.

There are drug and alcohol treatment centers that offer programs for teenaged victims of drug addiction.

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comments (36)
« Trouble365 wrote on Thursday, Mar 04 at 02:17 PM »
You could have fooled me. The way this has been handled it appears that the community condones underage drinking. Why are those that drank and distributed the alcohol not being severely penalized? Yes it was a mistake. One that should and must be paid for.
« Kennesaw Voter wrote on Tuesday, Mar 02 at 07:41 AM »
You folks who are bashing Walker are simply wrong and idiotic....this is about parents and students taking responsibility for their actions away from school... TO you folks who think this is a Walker issue, please spare us your dim witted scribbles on this website....us grown ups are NOT impressed.
« Nice Try wrote on Sunday, Feb 28 at 12:18 PM »
Dear Rules, Law, being suspended actually is a 'slap on the wrist' because it does go to colleges and you also get zeros on all assignments you missed. Oh, and the homecoming kids were caught by the police but the police decided to turn it in to the school and let the school handle it. Nice try though. Get your facts straight first.
« OhMy Goodness wrote on Friday, Feb 26 at 03:02 PM »
You poor people, both teenagers and parents, who believe this to be the school's problem, regardless of which school. It is so sad that our society has learned to point the finger anywhere but toward one's own self. And it is equally sad that a newspaper quotes unidentified blogs in a news article. (Quote this one, MDJ!)
« Ex Walker Student wrote on Thursday, Feb 25 at 03:22 PM »
Walker is a joke because their discipline policy does not work. Can you imagine one of those kids trying to pass judgement on anyone, give me a break. I personally knew students who had a long list of disciplinary issues for years and they are still at the school today. I am thanking my parents today for taking me out. For all the students who left Walker lets all get on our knees and thank our lucky stars. I am one of the 20 that left the school. Lets all meet and have a Ex Walker reunion party.
« Ex walker student. wrote on Thursday, Feb 25 at 01:46 PM »
I think it's funny that you're trying to back up Walker. Everyone leaves in Walker in highschool because they know they can get better education for free elsewhere, and better discipline. At least 20 students from my Freshman class left because how big of a joke Walker is towards discipline towards their students.
« Rules, Law wrote on Thursday, Feb 25 at 11:18 AM »
Dear Walker Student news flash for you, different rules for different people. Getting suspended is a slap on the wrist. These kids could care less about missing a couple of days from school. They broke the law on school grounds and they should have gotten the same treatment as the kids at the party. The police should have been called in and should have followed the same procedure. But wait.. was the police called in? or was the parents called to save the day. Another coverup at the Walker School. To my knowledge the drinking at the football game happened first. If Walker would have done their jobs maybe the kids at the party would have thought twice and this poor guy going to Rice University would not be going through this nightmare. I agree with the previous post, Walker have been dealing with this problem for years and for years they give out the same punishment if they punish at all. Try something new! Call the police when your students break the law on your campus. When they drink on your campus that means they have lost all respect for the school and your rules.
« A Walker Student wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 11:06 PM »
In response to 'please elaborate' I would just like to say those kids did not just get a 'slap on the wrist'. They were suspended a specific amount of days depending on their role in the event. There was actually a letter sent out telling parents what the punishment would be if your kid did a certain thing involving alcohol and how long they would be suspended. By being suspended for 'X' amount of days it also goes on the kids' record which gets sent to colleges. Oh and by the way none of the kids THAT GOT CAUGHT at the football game were at this party. This is NOT Walker's fault in ANY way. Kids drink at every school, if you think your child is a perfect little angel, check again, because I can guarantee they have done something wrong that you do not know about. You also may think your kid tells you everything, but they don't. Get over it, your kid is not perfect and they are not your best friend, or maybe they are because they don't have any real friends since you are sheltering them from the real world. This happens everywhere, not just Walker. It is the kid's choice if they want to drink, no one else's. The Walker School does everything to try and prevent drinking. Yeah they don't expel kids for one bad decision, but they do punish the kids and teach them a lesson which may prevent them from drinking in the future, and if it doesn't then once again it is the kid's choice.

« A Parent wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 10:01 PM »
Walker Parent stated, "I feel that our headmaster's response to this incident was prompt and appropriate." Prompt -- are you joking? You think he just found out about it? Consider this: A school has a responsibility to all of the students/families and faculty/staff to hold everyone to an understood standard. The choices someone makes away from campus reflect on the character they bring to campus. And that character is an integral part of strengthening or weakening a school. Consequences should be meted by those who truly care about these kids, and the choice they'll make at the next opportunity... how much do you care Walker? There's your teachable moment.
« I am real wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 09:56 PM »
To: Nocumentum

Please read my comment and then scroll down to what "Get Real" has to say. My comments were a somewhat tongue in cheek response to his. No, I don't think it's ok to have teenagers drinking in my home, keys or no keys. "Get Real" thinks it's ok. I just said, among other things, that IF you're going to do it, at least have the presence of mind to actually supervise what's going on.
« Walker Lower School wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 09:51 PM »
'Walker does not condone the underage use of alcohol'

I and several other parents will be holding our school to these words...
« Wow222 wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 05:30 PM »
The biggest problem that Walker has could be summed up by the sentence Mr. Robertson wrote, "There isn't much the school can do since the party was not related to any school-sanctioned event". Wow. My child goes to a private Christian school in Cobb County which is also very expensive and students are expelled every year because of inappropriate activity - drinking, smoking, etc. This includes off-school activity because the parents and the students sign a covenant statement that means they represent the school at all times.
« Nocumentum wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 04:32 PM »
TO: I am real ...

Let me get this straight; you think it is OK to have teenagers illegally drinking at your home so long as you take away their car keys and keep them in the house, but you are shocked at the unethical behavior of the parents involved in this incident? I, for one, am very happy I don't have friends like you. Let me tell how this could have been handled. First, don't let teenagers drink in your house. Second, when you and the kids get caught, accept the consequences, don't try to throw your political weight around, and don't try to pretend it's no big deal.
« more math wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 03:38 PM »
Math Fact, you are right but you forgot one equation..... the amount that these families donate (on top of tuition) to the school. Like many private schools Walker has all kinds of fundraisers to "improve" the school. Tuition pretty much just pays for general operating costs (teacher salaries, etc.). If they want a new gym, for example, they have to raise the funds. You can bet that if the parents of darling little lord fountleroy make the largest donations, then heads will turn the other way when the little lord misbehaves. Sometimes the large donations come AFTER the misbehavior. Imagine that.
« I am real wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 03:20 PM »
To "Get Real:"

Ex Walker Parent has it right:.... "This whole mess isn't about teenage drinking." It's about abuse of power and the unethical behavior of those who are SWORN to uphold our laws.

But back to the drinking. Go ahead and have your teen-drinking party and take the keys away. Ms. Busch managed to neglect that part...I suppose she was too drunk to remember the bit about the keys. Yes, I remember drinking in fields growing up. I also remember going to several funerals over my high school years. I went to another one 13 months ago. My heartbroken kids now understand and appreciate the overprotection.

Think about the trigger of this current situation....the kids were popping balloons in the driveway. Where did they get the balloons? Someone had filled one of their cars with them as a prank. The balloons were discovered when the kids went out to the car. Why go out to the car?....maybe to drive off somewhere else????? Fortunately, we won't know.

Ms. Busch wasn't even aware of the presence of many of the teens there. They might have been half-looped when they arrived (by driving)at the party. This is not my definition of a "supervised" teen drinking party. But it was at her house, so she is the person to be held liable.

Wouldn't this story have had a much happier ending if Ms. Busch (or Ms. Middleton) had made an appearance in the basement, realized what was going on and either confiscated keys and/or started calling parents? Oh, AND locked the kids INSIDE the house.

Back to the meat of the issue.....one would think that INTEGRITY would not be that difficult of a concept for a judge to grasp, albeit a drunk one. And we can add to the mix a senator, another (higher-level) judge, and a few other assorted legal types. Something's definitely wrong with this picture.
« Math fact wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 02:41 PM »
Let me make sure I got this right, if the Walker School would have let go of the students that was caught drinking at the football game they would have lost roughly $103,050 in tuition base on six students at $17,175 (It could have been more who broke the law) So it really comes down to your pocket and not making the right choice when it comes to setting an example for all the students. Shame on all of you. Those kids got a slap on the wrist and you got to keep $103,050. The Walker School missed out on a valuable teaching moment. We are talking about real issues, we are talking about the law.
« Enlightened Parent wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 02:09 PM »
With one child in private Christian school and one in the city system, we have seen how both are struggling with the sad realities of underage drinking, illegal drugs, sexting, pornography, dis-respect, cheating, etc. These are equalizing issues – and I challenge anyone to find a high school (large or small) that doesn’t have these challenges.



In addition, it may interest some to know that the “don’t you know who I am attitude” is as pervasive at our public school as it is at our private school! I have often found that one’s opinion of oneself is an issue of character, not income.



I believe that school is for learning to read, to write and to do arithmetic. The rest is up to us, parents. Perhaps if we focused on our school’s ability to perform at the academic level, instead of insisting that they also raise and/or shield our children, we might have more respect for the time and effort most teachers put into their work. Could this be true no matter what the cost of your child's education?



Consider this: the possibility that private school tuition has become less about the quality of learning and more about segregation from “unsightly (define this for yourself)” behavior.
« Alan Faircloth wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 01:07 PM »
There's a difference between prevention and punishment. UGA cannot prevent a player from getting a DUI, but they can and do administer punishment for it (suspension, etc.). The bottom line is that choices come with consequences....even choices that involve off campus conduct.
« Not Just Walker wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 11:36 AM »
I agree that at every school in our county and state there is underage drinking going on. Walker's reaction is not different from many other private schools in the area. In fact, a couple of years ago at one private school off Ashford Dunwoody, at a school retreat the teacher found students drinking, asked for the alcohol to be given to her. When it wasn't, she searched luggage and confiscated the alcohol. The response of the parents when a meeting was held to discuss the situation was that their darling student's privacy had been invaded. This school then stated that there was no policy involving acohol and indicated no punishment woul be given to the teens.

The difference in the public schools is that Cobb County has implemented a rather strict ruling concerning drinking and drugs that impacts a student for an entire year.
« Ex Walker Parent wrote on Wednesday, Feb 24 at 11:07 AM »
This whole mess isn't about teenage drinking.

Everyone knows it happens or they live in a cave. Keep in mind the issue - bending of the laws, asking for special favors from police officers sworn to uphold the law, and then trying to coverup your actions.Did Middleton, Busch and Wiles even think about the position they were putting the police officers in that night? I commend the officers for upholding the law.

This furor really has very little to do with the teenagers. I for one have several parties for kids and or adults at my home, but never together. And never drunk adults with kids present. If you don't understand how that is a bad idea, you shouldn't be called a parent.