Head of School Barbara Chase cited her value of honesty as the force behind her support of implementing a breathalyzer at Phillips Academy. Mrs. Chase believes that getting a breathalyzer is an unfortunate but necessary part of the community’s ongoing mission to effectively honor and promote honesty at Andover. “ I don’t like this; I wish we didn’t have to do it, and yet I think we have to do it to support kids in making the right choices and telling the truth,” she said. According to Mrs. Chase, honesty is the larger issue behind the breathalyzer. She mentioned the success of this past Fall’s Philomathean Forum on honesty, and stressed the value in the school-wide discussion of honesty that began last year. “The most important thing beyond the discipline…is that we keep this discussion alive and we keep all of us thinking about it and figuring out how we can best live that value, and teach that lesson [of honesty].“ Students who wish to voice their opinions on this issue are encouraged to speak to student government representatives or Cluster Deans, who have been discussing the matter at Student Council, Cluster Council, and Presidents and Deans Table. Mrs. Chase said regarding the breathalyzer, “There have been a lot of conversations around this and they will continue.” She also said, “The most important thing is to encourage and reward honesty. It’s such an important lesson; It’s one of the most important lessons you can learn and we keep learning it our whole lives.”
