As graduation and prom season approaches, more communities are expanding their  underage drinking prevention strategies to include parental behavior, the Chicago Tribune reported on May 15. 

In Deerfield. Ill., where a deadly car crash last Oct. 13 killed two high school students, police sent a letter to all parents of junior and senior students reminding them of a zero-tolerance policy on underage drinking and on parents allowing students to drink in their home. 

Other Illinois communities, including Highland Park and Wilmette, are using the "Parents Who Host Lose the Most" campaign that was created several years ago in Ohio to remind parents that it is illegal to host parties that allow teens to drink.

A bill introduced by Illinois state Sen. Susan Garrett* could make it a felony for adults to allow minors to drink in their homes when someone is injured as a result. The bill passed the state Senate and has been introduced in the House.

Many parents believe that all parents should be held accountable. "What we're experiencing is a breakdown of parental control in certain families and an increase in underage drinking in homes of parents who don't care," said Steve Saltzman, of Deerfield, whose daughter is a senior at Deerfield High. "And there is a silent majority of parents who are angry" at them.

* Correction, May 18, 2007: As originally published on May 17, the news summary incorrectly listed Sen. Garrett's last name as Gordon.