All students who will attend Paly’s annual Last Chance dance on May 30 will be breathalyzed upon entrance to the dance, according to the ASB.

The administration’s decision to check every student’s blood alcohol content is a result of the 12 Paly students who were sent home from prom for drinking before the event.

“Prom was just the last straw,” Paly Principal Jacqueline McEvoy said. “It was an unpleasant experience. I don’t want to spend my night will a group of drunk students ever again.”

McEvoy said that the only ways she sees to ensure there are no drunk students at the dance are to breathalyze everyone or cancel the dance altogether.

“We could increase the consequences [for drinking at Paly dances],” McEvoy said. “But we don’t have time to do this for this year’s Last Chance dance.”

According to McEvoy, student intoxication is a problem for everyone at school dances.

“Since [the administrators at the dance] are handling the students that were caught drinking we can’t monitor the dance floor and handle other problems that arise at the dance,” McEvoy said. “Drinking is a problem easily solved if you just breathalyze everyone who walks in the door.”

Paly Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson agrees that something needs to be done about the drinking problem at Paly.

“The alcohol problem is getting out of hand,” Berkson said. “At all but one dance this year, students have gotten caught drinking. Drinking is a problem at Paly.”

However, the action of breathalyzing all attendees will not be enforced at every dance from now on, according to Berkson.

“We [the Paly community] have a principal who’s willing to stand up for what’s right, even if her decisions are unpopular,” Berkson said. “We are open to realistic solutions for next year, but as of now we can’t think of any other solutions.”