Safe Homes
Santa Margarita Catholic High School Parents Working Together
to Support & Strengthen Our Students
Against The Pressures to Use Alcohol & Drugs.
This program is sponsored & administrated by the SMCHS Guild Executive Board
This program is also supported & encouraged by SMCHS Faculty, Staff, Administration,
and the SMCHS Consultative School Board
Safe Homes Pledge:
We will not allow gatherings or parties in our home without adult supervision.
We will not serve nor allow students under the legal drinking age to consume alcohol in our home or on our property.
We will not allow the use of illegal drugs in our home or on our property.
What is the Safe Homes Program? The Safe Homes Program is a voluntary uniting of parents to promote a healthy attitude against underage and illegal alcohol and drug use by SMCHS students. All parents who are committed to adhering to the Safe Homes Pledge are offered the opportunity to sign the Safe Homes Commitment Card and be included on the Safe Homes list. This commitment is renewed each year. By working together and setting a positive example, we can let our young people know that drugs and alcohol are not an essential part of social occasion. By providing "safe" homes for our students to gather and socialize, and by uniting in our message again alcohol and drug use, we encourage our students to have the strength and courage to resist peer pressure.
While we enjoy the support of the SMCHS Administration, Faculty and Staff, the Safe Homes Program is a parent-run program, sponsored by the SMCHS Guild (of which all SMCHS parents are members) and administered by the Guild Executive Board.
As a Safe Homes parent, you are encouraged to:
- Communicate with your students and to talk to them about your Safe Homes commitment.
- Know your students' friends
- Communicate with the parents of your students' friends.
- Know where your students are and let them know where you are.
- Have your students call you if they are "uncomfortable" and want to be picked up.
- Be awake (or awakened) when your students come home at night.
- Cooperate with other parents and school officials.
Safe Homes Recommendations:
When hosting a party:
- Welcome calls from other parents.
- Be a visible chaperone.
- Permit attendance by invitation only, have a guest list and do not permit party crashers.
- Let guests know that once they leave, they may not return.
- Notify the parents of anyone possessing or appearing to be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
When your student is invited to a gathering at someone's home:
- Call the host parent.
- Verify the activity, time, location.
- Confirm there will be adult supervision.
- Confirm that no alcohol or drugs will be permitted.
- If you are uncomfortable, don't allow your student to attend.
If you become aware of a Safe Homes Pledge violation:
- If you are comfortable, call the parent; they may be unaware of what occurred.
- Notify a member of the Guild Executive Board at SMCHS; in order to assure the integrity of the Program, we need to be aware!
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