The task force charged with addressing concerns about underage drinking in Mt. Lebanon presented recommendations to the school board Monday, calling for, among other actions, consistently enforcing the policy against underage drinking when it comes to violations that occur outside of school or school events.

Eliminating all underage drinking in Mt. Lebanon may not be possible, said Peter Berg, supervisor of guidance. But, he said, it is an "improvable issue."

"It's a complex issue, and we've spent a significant amount of time thinking about it," he said.

Last month, Superintendent Timothy Steinhauer announced the creation of the task force after concerns were raised about an increase in citations issued for underage drinking.

During October, police issued underage drinking citations to about 40 Mt. Lebanon High School students at two separate parties that allegedly were hosted by parents, said Lt. Aaron Lauth, of the Mt. Lebanon Police Department. Additionally, a few individual citations of high school students have occurred throughout the fall semester.

On Dec. 6, at least one more Mt. Lebanon student was cited for underage drinking at a party in the 900 block of Osage Road, Lt. Lauth said. Five males, ages 20, 19, 18, 17 and 16, were cited for underage drinking, and one 18-year-old male was arrested on charges of corruption of minors, underage drinking, furnishing alcohol to minors and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The task force, chaired by Mr. Berg, was made up of school administrators, counselors, coaches, teachers, parents and a representative from the Mt. Lebanon Police Department.

Mr. Berg presented 11 recommendations, including rewriting a "universal, clear policy" to address the role of the school district concerning nonschool violations; providing information on the policy to ninth-grade students and families at orientation; working with the police department to increase education efforts; and participating in a Pennsylvania youth survey to identify trends.

School board President Edward Kubit asked Dr. Steinhauer to investigate implementation of the recommendations.

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