WHITING, Ind. (AP) — Students attending the Whiting High School prom on Friday will have to pass a Breathalyzer test to see if they have been drinking before they are allowed inside.

Students who fail the breath test will be turned over to their parents, board attorney Joseph Curosh said Tuesday. Prom tickets warn the students about the breath tests, he said.

"The goal here is not to be punitive or to seek a criminal prosecution," he said.

Whiting School Board members voted unanimously Monday night to authorize breath tests at a slate of school functions, although the prom was clearly the board's concern. The new policy is the result of students who were drinking before last year's prom, Curosh said.

Lisa Tanselle, a staff attorney with the Indiana School Board Association, said other school districts in Indiana have similar policies and others have considered it.

"I think it's a function of what has happened at past events and the overall concern about alcohol consumption," she said.

Board members said people like the idea.

"The kids are for it. The community is in favor," said board member Lindy Fisher.

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Information from: The Times, http://nwitimes.com