Underage Drinking Panel Coming to Hackettstown High School

Parents will have the opportunity to meet and discuss underage drinking and ways they can prevent their kids from accessing alcohol during several town hall meetings beginning this week.

The four meetings are organized by Community Prevention Resources of Warren County's Community Action Partnership in collaboration with the Warren/Sussex Regional Coalition. Meetings will be held in local high schools, the first of which will be held at Hackettstown High School on Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

During the discussions, a panel of police officers, drug counselors, emergency room nurses, health professionals, lawyers, school administrators, insurance professionals and others will help lead a talk about issues surrounding underage drinking, including health effects. Timing of the meetings is deliberate, with proms, graduation ceremonies and other celebratory events upcoming.

A portion of the discussion will center on parents and adults who provide alcohol to minors in their homes and why this can be a particularly dangerous action.

In addition to the Hackettstown High School meeting, additional meetings will be held on June 3 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Phillipsburg High School, June 4 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at North Warren Regional High School and June 10 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Warren Hills High School in Washington.