Graduation Pranks Backfires!

[HannahT]

Students Won't Walk At Graduation After Prank

It all started as a senior prank Sunday night.

According to Osceola Superintendent Michael Cox, the students illegally went into the school and damaged property.

Cox said they threw cereal in the hallways, spray painted some walls and trashed several other areas.

The students received a 5-day suspension and will not be allowed to attend their graduation Friday night.

Cox said criminal charges have also been filed.

Some students and parents believe the district went overboard on the punishment.

I know when my kid's class prank happened - well ONE of them - they took 3 pigs, and put 1, 2, and 4 on their backs...and turned them loose in school. The school Officials ran around trying to find number 3 for most of the day. The pigs didn't hurt anything, and didn't destroy stuff. I thought it was creative, but no doubt annoying for staff.

Yet, breaking into your school to trash the school and spray paint the walls? Then you have parents tell everyone - AHHH its not that BAD!!! Please. If there children did this at their home? I'm sure their 'prank' wouldn't be so funny. I read in another article they peed all over the place too. YUCK!

NOT walking down the aisle at Graduation would be the last thing they had to worry about if my kids pulled that.

It was bad judgement on their part, and being suspended and not walking down the aisle I find it is just. The misdemeanor which could have been heavier charges? I doubt they will pay for the damages they caused, and don't really have a problem with that either.

WELCOME to Adulthood!

 

[Rick Otto]

Let the parents who think it was overboard pay the expenses incurred.

 

[rambot]

Some students and parents are.... must...not....be...mean.

Grad is not an excuse be destructive and it seems dumb to think you'd hold that as an excuse for behaviour.

 

[Goonie]

I know when my kid's class prank happened - well ONE of them - they took 3 pigs, and put 1, 2, and 4 on their backs...and turned them loose in school. The school Officials ran around trying to find number 3 for most of the day. The pigs didn't hurt anything, and didn't destroy stuff. I thought it was creative, but no doubt annoying for staff.

Yet, breaking into your school to trash the school and spray paint the walls? Then you have parents tell everyone - AHHH its not that BAD!!! Please. If there children did this at their home? I'm sure their 'prank' wouldn't be so funny. I read in another article they peed all over the place too. YUCK!

NOT walking down the aisle at Graduation would be the last thing they had to worry about if my kids pulled that.

It was bad judgement on their part, and being suspended and not walking down the aisle I find it is just. The misdemeanor which could have been heavier charges? I doubt they will pay for the damages they caused, and don't really have a problem with that either.

WELCOME to Adulthood!

Indeed, though how is spray painting school walls a prank? Cereal in the corridors, a bit of mess easily swept up, that is a prank, spray paint is damage to property.

A bit mean spirited I know, but if they are graduating they should be old enough to know better.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

They should be held criminally responsible for vandalism, with it kept on their record and the corresponding community service, fining or other punishments applied. They should know better and in order to discourage such behaviour in future, no leniency should be shown because it was done as part of a prank tradition.

 

[joshua 1 9]

I know when my kid's class prank happened - well ONE of them - they took 3 pigs, and put 1, 2, and 4 on their backs...and turned them loose in school. The school Officials ran around trying to find number 3 for most of the day. The pigs didn't hurt anything, and didn't destroy stuff. I thought it was creative, but no doubt annoying for staff.

Yet, breaking into your school to trash the school and spray paint the walls? Then you have parents tell everyone - AHHH its not that BAD!!! Please. If there children did this at their home? I'm sure their 'prank' wouldn't be so funny. I read in another article they peed all over the place too. YUCK!

NOT walking down the aisle at Graduation would be the last thing they had to worry about if my kids pulled that.

It was bad judgement on their part, and being suspended and not walking down the aisle I find it is just. The misdemeanor which could have been heavier charges? I doubt they will pay for the damages they caused, and don't really have a problem with that either.

WELCOME to Adulthood!

We got a recorded phone call from the Principal warning that there will be students that will not be allowed to graduate because of some prank that they thought was funny but will turn out not to be funny. It is all a part of it. I was there one year when they set the school on fire and broke windows. They had to call in the riot police to deal with the situation. The High School is across the street from the Police Station and I can see why.

 

[Goonie]

We got a recorded phone call from the Principal warning that there will be students that will not be allowed to graduate because of some prank that they thought was funny but will turn out not to be funny. It is all a part of it. I was there one year when they set the school on fire and broke windows. They had to call in the riot police to deal with the situation. The High School is across the street from the Police Station and I can see why.

If it involves fire, broken windows it's not a prank, but vandalism.

 

[Nithavela]

Make them repair it and pay for the expenses.

Criminal charges or putting something on their criminal record seems overboard.

 

[joshua 1 9]

If it involves fire, broken windows it's not a prank, but vandalism.

They considered it a riot and that was why the chief of police read the riot act.

 

[com7fy8]

The principle, to me, seems like he is mostly concerned about how to control students so it doesn't happen again.

I am concerned about if the students have been taught right from wrong. Certain ones seem to only care about the consequences, not about if they did something wrong. If they have not learned right from wrong, are they ready to graduate?

 

[TheBear]

But they worked so hawrd.

 

[Four Angels Standing]

I know when my kid's class prank happened - well ONE of them - they took 3 pigs, and put 1, 2, and 4 on their backs...and turned them loose in school. The school Officials ran around trying to find number 3 for most of the day. The pigs didn't hurt anything, and didn't destroy stuff. I thought it was creative, but no doubt annoying for staff.

Yet, breaking into your school to trash the school and spray paint the walls? Then you have parents tell everyone - AHHH its not that BAD!!! Please. If there children did this at their home? I'm sure their 'prank' wouldn't be so funny. I read in another article they peed all over the place too. YUCK!

NOT walking down the aisle at Graduation would be the last thing they had to worry about if my kids pulled that.

It was bad judgement on their part, and being suspended and not walking down the aisle I find it is just. The misdemeanor which could have been heavier charges? I doubt they will pay for the damages they caused, and don't really have a problem with that either.

WELCOME to Adulthood!

They didn't go overboard on the punishment. These kids are showing their parents where they failed!
The school should prosecute for criminal mischief or the highest charge available. Paying for damages and having to do the manual labor of repainting and cleaning up.

 

[Four Angels Standing]

Make them repair it and pay for the expenses.

Criminal charges or putting something on their criminal record seems overboard.

These acts were overboard.

I was driving downtown in an old colonial part of town where they have the most beautiful houses.
Right at the corner there was parked a T-tagged new Mustang. Gorgeous! Save for the multiple colors of spray paint sprayed all over the factory paint job, including the windows. And all four tires were slashed.

I had business near that part of town for a few days and always made sure I took that block to get to the post office. That car sat there like that for three days. The spray paint vandalism growing worse and worse, more paint applied, different colors.

I remember thinking, what could that poor owner have done to make someone that mad? The car was gone today. But I bet that owner is still sick to their stomach.
This kind of vandalism isn't silly school prank stuff. It's destruction , willful destruction, of a school that others will have to attend and endure graffiti and filth in the halls, if these vandals did urinate too as someone said they read was also part of the vandalism.
Those responsible should take a punishment that insures they think twice before doing this again. Especially when the vandals could be planning to go to college or university. Imagine what they'll do there when they said goodbye to high school this way.

 

[HannahT]

The principle, to me, seems like he is mostly concerned about how to control students so it doesn't happen again.

I am concerned about if the students have been taught right from wrong. Certain ones seem to only care about the consequences, not about if they did something wrong. If they have not learned right from wrong, are they ready to graduate?

People should be concerned about this happening again. If you don't punish people for vandalism on this scale? They will just continue. They will speak about it JUST like their parents did in the video...its NO big DEAL! How community service should be enough, and they should be allowed to walk down the aisle because they worked 12 long years for it.

Parents or caregivers are the primary teachers of right and wrong. Maybe after this circumstance they will learn some sense, because their parents - at least the ones on video - don't seem to have any. You don't generally learn that if your caregivers don't have any. Of course there is exemptions to that rule, but I'm speaking overall.

There is a huge difference between a prank and vandalism. Disrespect on this level is learned from home. I hope they figure out that their parents were in error, and don't encourage their own children to go down that same road. Many people learn the hard way, but if they do figure it out? Hard lesson learned, and their kids will go down the right path. They will get to see them graduate. They should be proud of themselves that they graduated - walking the aisle or not.

You don't enable bad behavior unless you want it to continue.