LAPLACE — Sgt. Danielle Falgoust of the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office recently conducted a safe and engaging awareness class about the dangers of alcohol impairment for fifth graders at Riverside Academy in Reserve.

Sgt. Falgoust led the students through a Fatal Vision impairment goggles simulation, a hands-on prevention tool that allows people to experience with a sober mind what it’s like to be under the influence of alcohol.

Several students volunteered for the demonstration, and they were able to experience how alcohol impairs a person’s balance, vision, reaction time, and judgment. Wearing the special goggles, the students discovered how a simple activity such as walking a line can become difficult and how susceptible they are to potentially dangerous consequences of impairment. Many of the students wobbled as they attempted to walk a straight line, and several of them said they saw three lines. Some students also could not focus on picking up an object

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