Underage drinking is a growing problem nationwide and it’s a hard reality facing both parents and schools.

The law firm, Gold, Khourey and Turak surveys students in its Booze and Cruise, You'll Lose Program.

Since 2005, the number of students who say their classmates drink has gone up every year.

Now, schools are left fighting those numbers.

Wheeling Park School Resource Officer, Sgt. James Braden said, “We would have to be ostriches with our heads in the sand to not think that there's alcohol abuse going on in all of our schools."

Many high school students are pretty open about it like Wheeling Park seniors, Emily Ellwood and Dylan Snyder.

“The alcohol it's there and it's hard to get rid of with kids our age,” said Snyder.

Last year, Gold, Khourey and Turak surveyed 641 students from 6 high schools and found more than 69 percent said more than half or mostly everyone under 21 drinks once or twice a week.

Wheeling Park officials want to make it hard for kids to keep the habit, especially at school functions like dances.

When students come to dances at Wheeling Park, there is only one entrance.

They're greeted by the principals where they must show identification.

Students are checked again by faculty at a front table, and then it’s a long walk down a hallway to the gym with teachers keeping an eye out all along the way.

“Are they fumbling for their money? Are they having a hard time finding their ticket? Are they staggering? What's their appearance? How are they acting?” said Braden. “You can tell a lot just by looking at people."

Principal Chris Carder said Wheeling Park always has a breath test device in the building and they aren't afraid to use it.

Carder said, “Sometimes it proves the kids true, sometimes wrong. I've had cases where there's been group and some will hit and others won't."

Wheeling Park made some students take the breath test this year at football games and word spread to all the students

Ellwood and Snyder said,”Yes, we know. We would have heard about it. Everything travels fast.”

Wheeling Park has consequences in place if students get caught drinking.

Parents are notified. Then, students suffer a 10-day suspension.

Finally, students must complete six drug and alcohol counseling sessions.

Other schools, like Wheeling Central, make students and their parents sign contracts to dances.

If a student gets busted, they face a three-day suspension, cannot attend dances for a calendar year and must perform 20 hours of community service.

“I wouldn't even try it. That's insane. I'm not going to risk getting suspended and taking my exams with it being senior year and everything,” said Ellwood. “I'm not going to do that."

Snyder and Ellwood tell NEWS9 their parents enforce these rules at home and that’s something all parents should do.

According to a Gold, Khourey and Turak survey of 831 students in nine local high schools, nearly 65 percent said they do not think it's OK for parents to host an underage party with alcohol.

-Allison Latos, NEWS9