Prom Safety No. 3: Time for a Talk

With the big day just three days away, it may be time to address what happens after the prom itself is over.

Safety concerns really come into play at “after-prom,” says Patch parenting expert Sherry Millman Purzak. For example, parents should check the public transit available at the locations where their kids may be going (be it Seaside N.J. or the Hamptons, for example.)

Why? Because sometimes things go badly wrong when young people are away from home, Millman Purzak said.

She recommends that you insist the kids check in by phone from the after-prom location and have “emergency money” to get home earlier than planned if they find themselves in uncomfortable situations once there.

Before all the excitement Thursday, now is a good time to have a talk with the kids, Millman Purzak says: 

"Parents also need to have a talk with their kids and remind them that they obviously do not want to do anything that will affect their health and safety as a general matter," she said. "But also, graduation is only a few days after so they do not want their conduct during prom or after-prom to jeopardize their ability to attend graduation."

In 2008, an incident involving a Plainview student at Seaside resulted in an arrest and almost cost the student his graduation, Millman Purzak said.