Members of the Fayette County Board of Education on April 24 heard from representatives of AVPride about the legal issues for adults who allow underage drinking.

The social hosting ordinance in Fayette County is structured to prohibit adults from hosting or allowing events at any residence or location where they know or reasonably should know that underage persons will consume alcohol.

The ordinance states that a person violating the ordinance is criminally responsible.

The initiative that led to the ordinance has been promoted by AVPRide and Fayette Factor.

The visit to the school board by AVPride staff Dawn Oparah and Michael Mumper along with McIntosh High School senior Clara Comiskey and Whitewater High School sophomore Kelly Padilla came during Alcohol Awareness Month.

For those who might think alcohol consumption by minors is a less than significant issue, the message from AVPRide came with the reality that nearly 24 percent of seniors at Fayette County high schools say they have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, according to the 2016 Georgia Student Health Survey conducted by the Georgia Department of Education.

It was noted that kids who drink are more likely to be victims of violent crime, to be involved in alcohol-related crashes and to have serious school-related problems.

AVPride added that excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year.