WESTBROOK – While Westbrook school officials await the results of a report on a November student drinking incident, a high school student involved in prevention efforts has raised questions on how the district should respond, suggesting that the responsibility of parents needs to be addressed.

“It is not the students who should be targeted any more with this issue because it has not changed a single thing,” Brooke Shaw, a junior, told the Westbrook School Committee Jan. 15. “It is the administrators and parents who need to be having these discussions,” or changes won’t be made in the school.

At the meeting, Superintendent of Schools Marc Gousse reported that an independent review of the incident, which involved student athletes, is still under way by Biddeford arbitrator John Alfano.

During the meeting, Shaw, a peer leader at recent school substance-use discussions, shared the content of an email she had sent to Claire Schroeder, program manager of Westbrook Communities that Care, an organization under the Opportunity Alliance that works with schools, including Westbrook, on substance abuse prevention and other issues.

Shaw had previously been selected to speak during recent group discussions with student athletes about drug and alcohol abuse. In the email, she expressed concern about seeing few results from these efforts.

“When will these methods actually work with the students?” she said.

Shaw, a member of the student council and National Honor Society, said there have already been numerous parties throughout the school year. She said that while the decision to use drugs or alcohol is ultimately an individual choice, she said, “It is not that simple.”

“If it was, the abuse would most likely be dealt with easier than the situations we have been dealing with so far this year,” she said in the email.

Shaw said Monday that the recent student discussions centered on student athletes, with Shaw and other student leaders facilitating the talks, which posed questions based on scenarios including house parties.

Westbrook High School Principal Jon Ross said Monday that future student discussions would center on students in other activities, as well as the rest of the student population.

“Brooke had to stand up and facilitate some tough questions in front of her peers,” he said.

Shaw said feedback from fellow students during the discussions included the need for more police involvement, and an emphasis on the social media aspect, including students posting pictures of drugs and alcohol.

The independent review by Alfano resulted from a request by Mayor Colleen Hilton concerning the lifting of suspensions of student athletes after an alleged incident of student drinking.

After investigating a report of a party involving students that occurred the weekend before Halloween, Westbrook Athletic Director Marc Sawyer suspended roughly two-dozen athletes from their fall sports programs. However, on Nov. 8, after receiving information that skewed the initial decision, Sawyer, along with Ross, lifted the suspensions for all the athletes.

Due to the timing of when the student athletes were reinstated – the same day as a Westbrook High School playoff football game – school administrators were accused of making the decision solely to allow members of the team to compete. However, suspensions were also given and then lifted to students participating in soccer and track.

Gousse agrees with Shaw about the role of parents.

“Nobody denies the fact that things could have been done differently, but she (Shaw) spoke of the role of the parent,” Gousse said Wednesday. “I think it’s a call to action for parents and community members about what parents and guardians are doing to ensure their children are safe.”

Shaw also believes that harsher consequences are needed on the school level.

“Some of the administrators at our school are somewhat (tolerant) of these instances,” she said at the meeting.

On Monday, Shaw also noted that personal relationships between students and administrators may be skewing how discipline is applied, with some students getting preferential treatment.

She said that while relationships between students and teachers or other staff are important, some relationships don’t seem to have a necessary balance between friend and disciplinarian.

“People notice it,” she said. “It doesn’t just happen and no one notices.”

Schroeder, who took part in the group discussions, said Tuesday that she agrees with the notion that sometimes focusing solely on students is missing the larger picture.

“In substance use prevention, we know that it takes multiple strategies aimed at different populations within a community to decrease youth substance use,” she said. “In other words, it is important to engage youth, teachers, parents and community members, provide education and equip everyone with the tools that will make a difference.”

Schroeder, who also works closely with school substance abuse counselor Bruce Dyer, said that Westbrook is not alone in dealing with this issue, and believes that though people may not always agree on the most effective way of dealing with these issues, Westbrook is trying.

“At the high school, we have a committee that has come together to deal with this issue, as well as young people eager to make a difference,” she said. “In the community we have parents getting together to have conversations about what works and how they can support each other, and we have organizations committed to this work and to supporting our young people, and not every community can say all of that.”

Michelle Fournier, a Westbrook native and Westbrook High School teacher, also spoke at the meeting, and began by reaffirming her support for Ross and Sawyer, who, she said, tried to do what was right in November.

However, Fournier said she was concerned about the impending report by Alfano, and what will happen following its completion.

“I’m concerned about getting to the truth,” she said. “Some of us worry about political maneuvering and spin, which might obscure what really happened.”

“Who will see the report in its entirety, and who will decide how much of the report is released to the public?” she said.

Gousse said that Alfano “expects the report to be done shortly, but has not provided a firm date for that.”

Gousse said he doesn’t expect answers to specific questions to be answered until the department hosts a public forum following the release of Alfano’s report.

Shaw said Monday that although she used to be the soft-spoken student in the class, she’s learned to challenge herself, and has learned a lot from it.

“For students, it’s always easier to do the easiest thing, but that doesn’t make it the right thing,” she said. “Usually, doing the things that challenge you are the right things to do.”

Ross added that seeing Shaw be so outspoken is new, but something that is great for the school.

“Now she’s speaking up about some things, and a lot of people are very proud of her for that,” he said. “We’re seeing a different Brooke.”

Brooke Shaw