Police, school officials warn parents about perils of after-prom parties

Police and school officials are urging parents to talk to their children about the "the inherent risks" of attending after-prom bashesor field parties.

"Proms are intended to be fun celebrations, but we also want our students to be safe," said Catholic school board spokesman Stephen Fields. "The best way to do that is to avoid unsafe situations. The safety of our studentsis always our first priority."

In 2015, at least four people were stabbed at a wild prom party in a field on County Road 42. Police arrived to find a chaotic scene with as many as 2,000 revelers in various states of intoxication.

The school board's warning comes on the heels of a similar warning issued last week by the OPP.

"Police want to make it very clear that unsupervised after-prom parties and/or 'field parties' are unsafe environments for anyone," said police. "Police are often called to investigate criminal reports of assault, drug and alcohol offences, sexual assaults, thefts, mischief and other related crimes stemming from these types of parties."

Police warned students -- and anyone thinking of hosting such parties -- to "be prepared" for a visit from police.

"Our members are out aggressively enforcing the law to ensure our children enjoy these gatherings in a safe and responsible manner," said police.