|
Parent
involvement is crucial to the health and well-being of a child.
As a parent, you are the most important influence in your child's
success in school and in life. In this role, you have a fresh opportunity
every day to get involved with your child.
Parent involvement in
children's education allows kids to perform better in school, and
navigate more easily some of the challenges of growing up, such
as bullying.
PTA is committed to being
the leading resource for parent involvement. We offer comprehensive
resources for helping parents get involved and stay involved in
the lives of their children.
During
the spring parents celebrate special moments with their children
including graduation. Some parents host parties with alcohol for
their teenager's friends either to be “cool” or in an attempt to
keep kids from drinking and driving. By hosting teenager's parties
in the home, many parents believe this will keep their kids out
of trouble. Their intentions may be good; however the results can
be costly; IT IS ILLEGAL, UNSAFE, AND UNHEALTHY for anyone
under age 21 to drink alcohol.
According
to Georgia Law (O.C.G.A.,Section 3-3-23 & 3-5-5)
- Parents
cannot give alcohol to their teen's friends who are under 21,
under any circumstances, even in their own homes, even with their
parents' permission
- Adults
cannot knowingly allow a minor, other than their own child, to
remain in their home or on their property while consuming or possessing
alcohol.
- Beer
kegs must be registered and marked for tracking purposes. Retailers
must document keg purchases', name, address, age verification
and location where keg will be consumed.
- Georgia
's social host liability law
was created by case law in 1985, allowing the courts to settle
lawsuits against adults who serve alcohol negligently.
If
you break the law:
- Up
to $1,000 and/or 12 months confinement for a first offense, under
state law.
- Additional
penalties vary, under local laws.
Civil
action can include substantial financial liability of injuries and/or
death result from underage drinking accident.
- It
is not uncommon for salaries and personal property to be garnished
as a result of such lawsuits
- There
have been significant increases in number of such civil cases
in Georgia courts over the past decades.
YES,
you can throw your graduate a party, just make sure you don't throw
yourself in jail.
Take advantage of the
many resources and guides offered for parents. A few are listed
below. For more resources, visit www.pta.org.
Make
Time to Listen...Take Time to Talk
The
15+ Make Time to Listen...Take Time to Talk campaign is based
on the premise that parents who talk with their children about what
is happening in their lives are better able to guide their children
toward more positive, skill-enhancing activities and friendships.
The campaign provides practical guidance for parents and caregivers
on how to strengthen their relationship with their children by spending
at least 15 minutes of daily, undivided time with them and focusing
on them.
Connect
With Kids
Georgia PTA has partnered
with Atlanta-based CWK Network/Connect with Kids to bring important
and innovative educational resources to families. CWK Network is
known as “the CNN of children’s issues,” producing
weekly television news stories and the Emmy® award-winning television
series, Connect with Kids -- shown eight times each year on 70 top
television stations as well as in thousands of schools nationwide.
Connect with Kids programs focus on today’s youth issues and
feature real students sharing their true stories about topics such
as bullying, drugs, drinking, safety, peer pressure, ethics, dating,
body image – more than 100 programs in all. Research shows
the programs improve student behavior in the classroom, and encourage
increased communication between children and their parents. Connect
with Kids also received the 2005 Parents’ Choice Award.
Sign
up for Connect With Kids newsletter and learn more about their programs.
|
