Drunken boy, 14, lucky to be alive

A severely intoxicated 14-year-old Auckland school pupil began convulsing and vomiting and was only 10 minutes from death on a school trip despite fellow pupils telling teachers he was noticeably drunk in class and reeked of alcohol before the trip began.

Parents of pupils who were on the bus with the boy to Auckland Zoo are angry they have not had more contact from the school.

This latest incident comes just weeks after the death of King's College pupil James Webster, 16, who died after binge-drinking vodka, a tragedy which put the spotlight on the drinking habits of younger teens.

Alcohol Healthwatch director Rebecca Williams said New Zealand society was facing an "absolute crisis, if we are not already there" with younger and younger people drinking alcohol.

"The age is a really big thing. This person is not 25, they are not 20, they are not even 19, they were 14 and still a child, and at an age they need special care. There needs to be some duty of care from the community for that age group.

"I just don't think parents actually get it. Most adult New Zealanders drink alcohol and our adult society is normalising alcohol for children as young as this kid, as young as 14."

Last month chief coroner Neil MacLean released statistics which showed 12 teenagers, some barely out of childhood, had died from binge-drinking since July 1, 2007.

Williams said more than a third of our young people were binge-drinking.

A concerned parent from the decile 10 Mission Heights Junior College, in east Auckland, contacted the Sunday Star-Times last week to speak of the latest incident.

She said the 14-year-old, a Year 10 pupil, was part of a group of about six pupils who brought alcohol to school on the morning of Tuesday, June 1, and drank the alcohol before classes started.

It is understood they had bottles of vodka mixed with a liqueur, as well as straight vodka and vodka premixers.

She said her child told her the boy was noticeably drunk in the classroom on the morning of the school trip. He was taken to the office of principal Joan Middlemiss, who cleared the boy to go on the technology class trip to Auckland Zoo that morning.

It is understood the boy told her he had not been drinking and was told he would be given the benefit of the doubt and allowed on the bus. About halfway through the journey the boy started convulsing and vomiting. An ambulance was called. "It was a big commotion on the bus, the kids were all distressed," the parent said.

A St John Ambulance northern communications spokesman confirmed an ambulance was called to Auckland Zoo at 9.55am that day and transported a 14-year-old boy in a serious condition to Starship hospital. The parent who contacted the Star-Times said children were told that had the boy arrived at the hospital 10 minutes later, he may have died.

Acting principal Naddy Naidoo said when Middlemiss assessed the boy she found "no evidence" he was drunk or had been drinking.

When he became unwell on the bus she rang his parents and the parents of the other pupils involved and kept them informed throughout the day. "She was in full control of the incident."

Naidoo said Middlemiss also contacted the board of trustees and the school's family and friends group which keeps in contact with pupils' families, but he said the issue was a one-off and more about parental control.

The parent who approached the Star-Times was unconvinced. "For me as a parent, I was quite concerned that they allowed him on that bus. I think that put every single person on that bus in danger."

Middlemiss was understood to have held a meeting with staff the next day where she said she believed the right decision was made because if he had been left at the school, he may have died.

The pupils involved – all new to the school – were stood down for five days and Middlemiss arranged family conferences, where she spoke to them about the dangers of alcohol.

sarah.harvey@star-times.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News