Today we have a heartbreaking story with a message and warning from our local community. Max Ver Beek, a 14-year-old student at Zeeland Public Schools (ZPS), died on September 1, 2023 from a combination of alcohol poisoning and suicide. His family sent the following email to the ZPS Superintendent on Friday September 22, 2023, three weeks after Max died.
Dear Brandi-Lyn Mendham, PhD,
On behalf of my family, we need to express sadness that you did not reach out to our family with your condolences for the death of our son, Maxwell Ver Beek. It would have meant so much. The shock of his suicide and the horrendous grief we experience every waking minute is sometimes too much to bear. Now we are looking for a few things to happen at ZPS.
Out of respect for my family, we are requesting that filled water bottles no longer be allowed at game entrances. Alcohol is readily available for kids; allowing water bottles is an open invitation for kids to smuggle it (and adults too). Instead, students can bring empty water bottles and fill them up at the water fountain or concession stand for free. We have realized through public response that underage drinking in Zeeland is a pervasive problem.
Does ZPS look the other way regarding alcohol at games?
We request a required Zeeland West High School assembly about the dangers of alcohol and how it affects the adolescent brain. It increases depression and makes it more likely they will follow through with the action of suicide because it loosens the self-restraint you feel, making it harder to weigh the pros and cons of decisions, and finding solutions to problems. We also ask that the assembly include the dangers of online bullying and ask that the district make a policy that, if there is a student found to do this, there be a minimum suspension of 10 days. Since our website went live, we’ve had several students and parents tell us that ZPS has a very high rate of bullying. One parent has said they had to remove their child from the district due to actions not being taken against the bully. Another student said they have attended other districts and ZPS is by far the worst with bullying.
Why does ZPS remain silent?
Supplies or alcohol should be expelled from all school sports team events. A simple suspension is not enough.
Will ZPS make an example of this student?
Max’s suicide was preventable. He was alcohol poisoned from Vodka that was supplied by a ZPS student and continued to drink while sitting at a ZPS function. We set up a website that is garnering 10,000 visitors a day. We’ve been approached by several local media’s that want to pick up and drive change in this community. We will not go away. There has to be change in order to have our son’s death make a difference and not be for naught.
Thank you for your reply in advance and willingness to partner with us for change.
Dustin & Amy Ver Beek
8:10 pm – I ride with Samantha to Zeeland Stadium to pick Max up.
8:24 pm – Max arrives to our vehicle walking with the Zeeland West Assistant Principal. Something is majorly off. Max looks different to me.
8:30 pm – After a private discussion with the Assistant Principal, we departed for home.
8:33 pm – Max begins profusely vomiting in the Jeep and all over himself.
Max was DRUNK and finally admitted to: getting alcohol from a peer at school. Six water bottles of Tito’s Vodka, we are told. Fueled by an ALCOHOL HAZE, when he arrived home, Max was really upset and rambling. Amy and I came down on him pretty hard for drinking; Like any parent.
Max was given alcohol at the high school football game. After he became intoxicated and puked in the stands, Max was bullied. Many students took pictures of inebriated Max and posted them to social media. His dad picked him up from the game. Max was still drunk the next morning. Embarrassed and not thinking clearly, he took his life. The school district remains silent and (as of the writing of this article) has not responded to the family’s email of September 22nd.
This story contains so many messages for teens, parents, community members and school districts. Too much alcohol can make you sick. Alcohol impairs the ability to make logical and rational decisions, no matter one’s age. Sometimes people make potentially life-altering decisions while under the influence of alcohol. There are a multitude of ways to deal with life’s problems. Do not look the other way when teens break laws. Illegal actions need consequences.
Public school’s woke ideology being used to counter teen suicide is failing. The entitlement driven focus of victimization and blaming social injustices has resulted in a segment of teens unable to cope with the harsh realities of real-life issues. Instead of addressing bullying and teen drug and alcohol abuse with consequences and prevention programs, focus is placed on changing society and culture rather than building individual integrity, work ethic, and personal responsibility.
My heart breaks for this family.