It's become nearly as predictable as the swallows' returning to Mission San Juan Capistrano. If Utah schools are observing spring break, a goodly number of Utah teens head to central and Southern Utah, to outings many of them have come to consider a right of passage.
For the most part, it's good clean fun, but the crush of youth surely takes it toll on law enforcers, emergency crews and even merchants who, on the one hand, make their living off tourism trade but, on the other, are sometimes strapped to accommodate the young crowds.Surely, Utah youths deserve a break from their studies. But must they all congregate in Southern Utah? Is it appropriate that parents of these teens abdicate their parental responsibilities to law enforcement and government officials for the sake of the "spring break" experience?
A good many of Utah teens are responsible and can be counted on to make good decisions. Others succumb to a mob mentality that places pleasing the crowd above an individual's moral code. While law enforcers understand that kids want to have fun, their charge is to keep the kids safe and to maintain order. In other words, they become surrogate parents. This isn't a police officer's charge, but absent parents or adult chaperones, what choice do they have?
To their credit, law enforcement agencies step up patrols and employ officers from other jurisdictions to help keep a lid on the teenage hijinks. But they can't be everywhere at once, and there can be tragic consequences.
Consider the deaths of two men killed in unrelated off-road accidents at Little Sahara Recreation Area, where some 30,000 people visited over Easter weekend. One was killed when a dune buggy rolled over him. The other, a 19-year-old from Brigham City died when his four-wheeler collided with a motorcycle. The Juab County Sheriff's Office reported some 15 injuries that required hospitalization.
The combination of large unsupervised groups, drug and alcohol use, cars, off-highway vehicles and the recklessness of youth can have grave consequences. Parents should carefully consider these before they permit their sons and daughters to take part in these spring break activities.
Beyond that, parents and communities should encourage students to use their time more productively, whether that means rendering service to others or simply spending time with families. Communities and private businesses should sponsor activities that encourage youths to stay closer to home or to travel out of town with adults chaperones.
A break from school needn't be a break from good sense. Youths and parents alike need to open their minds to possibilities that don't involve an annual migration to points south.