Parents go to school so kids can attend prom

When Rob Neil walked into Hilton Head Island High School for a mandatory parents meeting Monday night, he wasn't ecstatic.

"I came to the meeting not wanting to come," he said. "I was wondering if it was going to be beneficial to me. And it was."

Neil and his wife Karen were just two of a few hundred parents of juniors and seniors who spent about two hours at the meeting. Their presence was required for their children to attend the school's April 26 prom.

Parents or guardians can also attend the presentation, put on by the It Won't Happen to Me Foundation, at 8 a.m. today at the high school, when juniors and seniors see it for themselves.

It Won't Happen to Me is a nonprofit organization that works to prevent teenage deaths resulting from car accidents.

The meeting did not focus on drinking and driving. About 25 percent of car accidents that lead to teenage deaths are due to alcohol, according to the organization. Speeding, failure to wear seat belts and lack of experience were the main topics discussed and depicted through video reenactments.

"There's no rhyme or reason as to who these tragedies hit," said Bill Richardson, co-founder of It Won't Happen to Me.

Tim Slupski, a Beaufort County sheriff, added local statistics to the presentation. In his 12 years with the sheriff's office, he has knocked on

43 doors to tell parents their children were involved in car accidents. Last year, 244 teens died in car accidents across South Carolina. By mid-March this year, another 58 young lives were lost, he said.

Parent Richard Deinema said the meeting "was helpful. They should do it not just for prom, but at the beginning of the year."

He also questioned why prom will run from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. this year. Principal Amanda O'Nan said the school's "after prom" party will be held in Hampton Hall, the same venue for the prom, in an effort to keep students safe.