As a parent of a Los Gatos High School graduate, a Los Gatos High School sophomore, and a Fisher Middle School student, I am disappointed and angered that neither the Los Gatos High School principal nor the Los Gatos­Saratoga Joint Union School District board are willing to lift a finger in order to improve the safety for hundreds of Los Gatos students on the night of the senior ball, claiming that "parents need to parent."

By keeping the ball in San Francisco and not providing transportation, the school is actually creating a dangerous situation, one which is very difficult for even the most conscientious parents to deal with. It is frustrating that no one from the board nor from the administration gave any clear reason as to why they refuse to sanction mandatory buses or move the ball to a local hotel. Superintendent Cynthia Ranii, Los Gatos Principal Trudy McCulloch and the board members need to stand up and say "not on our watch." Instead, they shrug it off as "not our problem."

It seems like the only lesson this town has learned from the death of a student two years ago is how to collectively look the other way when kids engage in risky behavior and how to pass the buck. Sadly, it might take a tragedy on senior ball night to convince our school officials that they need to do the job with which we entrusted them, and act responsibly with regard to school activities.

The administration and the board have been warned. If they take no action, and a student is injured or killed as a result, what will the board say to the judge when they are being sued for negligence? "Parents need to parent?"

Daphna Rahmil

Monte Sereno

Look at what's
happening to our
teenagers

Thank you for Lisa Toth's recent article regarding the Los Gatos High School prom and post-prom activities. I have been actively involved in this effort since the morning after my high school senior came home from the prom last year.

My husband and I naively thought that staying at the Marriott after the prom was a good idea, because of the lateness of the hour and the fact that San Francisco is an area unfamiliar to him. We reluctantly agreed to him booking a room at the hotel.

What we learned over the next week was that it really was an excuse for many of the seniors and their dates to participate in what could only be characterized as a drunken debacle. I was flabbergasted to say the least. Fortunately, when asked directly, my 17-year-old copped to the fact that indeed it was a huge class of 2004 party. When I heard the stories of individual and groups out of control, I was upset with my son and equally upset that I didn't understand what the post-prom hotel thing was really all about.

My husband and I take full responsibility for not doing what we should have done to make sure our son was in a safe environment. As parents we have all made mistakes and, as I tell my children, it is not making the mistake itself that is a problem, it is when one does not take responsibility for the mistake afterwards that is unacceptable.

Lots of people we know in this community leave their high school-aged children alone on the weekend, many parents allow underage drinking in their house and many of them just frankly just look the other way. Maybe they feel they are going away to college soon so why the fuss, maybe they don't know the details, or maybe, like many of us, they are trying hard to parent but make mistakes.

I would like to encourage all parents to help change the "culture" of this town where drinking and drug use are an accepted part of life. It was disheartening to hear from my freshman daughter a few days ago that her perception is that her group of freshman friends at Los Gatos High are some of the few who are not participating in drinking. What is that about? These are 14-year-old girls. They are not going off to college soon. Ultimately this is very sad.

Although there are a lot of great things about Los Gatos, there are also some things that are very wrong. How is it that we are allowing this culture to continue and prosper? Take a look when you drive onto the high school campus. For the past five years I have seen a group of students smoking pot in the same area out in front of the Methodist Church every morning.

Everyone needs to take a close look at what is happening with our teenagers. We need to ask questions, and when we don't get answers, we need to get tougher. This is not about everyone else's children, this is about all our children.

Christine Nichols

Los Gatos