Senior Prank - what do you think

[Chelley00]

This is big news locally. One of my DS's friends is one that has been suspended for protesting.

The short story is that a group of seniors convinced a board member to let them into the high school and use 11,000 post it notes to "draw" smiley faces, 2012 and other stuff all over the school. (nothing "nasty" was written or drawn.

At first the 6 seniors who were involved were suspended, a night custodian was fired for watching and the school board member was asked to resign. Now, after peaceful protests from students (who were all then suspended for protesting) and a bunch of parents complaining, they've started lifting or reducing the suspensions.

Here's the link to the story, with a slideshow of pictures
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012205170360


What do you think? Should the students be suspended? What about the janitor?

 

[goofy4tink]

Nope, I don't think anyone should be punished. While it was maybe not such a good idea to give your child a key to the school (as a sitting committee/board member) and not such a great idea to stand and watch over them as a custodian, nothing was harmed or destroyed.
There does seem to be a need for common sense nowadays. Yes, I understand that 'life has changed' according to some. But has it, really?? There have always been senior pranks....and obviously some have been more destructive than others. We had one senior class here a few years ago, that got handicap parking stencils and stenciled all the student and teacher parking spaces with it..made the entire parking lot...all three levels...handicapped parking. It was really kind of creative..unfortunately, the town didn't agree. So, the kids had to go out and fix it all..took them quite awhile. Time they could have been hanging out with their friends just prior to graduation.
Not sure what this years class has up its sleeves....hopefully nothing destructive.

 

[DopeyDame]

When I first saw the title I thought "suck it up kids, if you do the crime, you do the time." But when I saw the details... it doesn't even sound like the kids did anything wrong!
They did what sounds like a FUN, creative prank that not only didn't hurt anyone, but probably gave a lot of people some great smiles. The person who most has a right to be PO'd - the Janitor - was there and, presumably, was OK with it. The kids had at least tacit permission from a school board member, which means it was completely reasonable for them to assume it was an OK thing to do.

The Principal can be mad at the board member and the janitor, but I have a really hard time seeing why the kids should be punished at all!

 

[RitaE]

Board member being asked to resign is appropriate. Custodian who watched might be disciplined or at least given a very good talking to - hard to fault him when a School Board member was present.

Kids should be given 2 after school afternoons of helping to clean the school top to bottom.

Everybody graduates and let's go home for the summer.

 

[ChrizJen]

Gosh! I would actually commend the students for making the art with post-its instead of using something else, like spray paint! I think that a "respectful" prank like this one should be used as an example of the kinds of things seniors should do for fun!

Honestly, if I were superintendant, I would make it an "organized" part of senior activities! It would become an annual tradition, where every year seniors would try to make their art better than the seniors the year before!! I've actually seen full murals made out of post-it notes, and they're spectacular!!

Those officials are just sticks in the mud!!

 

[pixiewings71]

I don't agree with anyone being asked to resign, being reprimanded or being suspended. These kids didn't cause any kind of lasting damage, it was a fun, clean prank that would be easy to clean up. Much better than some pranks I've heard of.....I wish more of our kids could be creative like that instead of destructive.

 

[Heidict]

It was a harmless prank, no property was harmed, nobody was hurt and it was easily cleaned up.

Sounds like someone needs to pay a midnight visit to the superintendents house and TP some trees.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Nope, I don't think anyone should be punished. While it was maybe not such a good idea to give your child a key to the school (as a sitting committee/board member) and not such a great idea to stand and watch over them as a custodian, nothing was harmed or destroyed.
There does seem to be a need for common sense nowadays. Yes, I understand that 'life has changed' according to some. But has it, really?? There have always been senior pranks....and obviously some have been more destructive than others. We had one senior class here a few years ago, that got handicap parking stencils and stenciled all the student and teacher parking spaces with it..made the entire parking lot...all three levels...handicapped parking. It was really kind of creative..unfortunately, the town didn't agree. So, the kids had to go out and fix it all..took them quite awhile. Time they could have been hanging out with their friends just prior to graduation.
Not sure what this years class has up its sleeves....hopefully nothing destructive.

LOVE IT!!!! And it sounds like the punishment fit the crime. Exactly what a senior prank ought to be.

 

[connorlevismom]

Way to suck even more fun out of going to school. These kids did nothing wrong but have a little (clean) fun. With what most seniors are doing these days (both in and out of school), they should be awarded for being good kids.

 

[NikitaZee]

It was a harmless prank, no property was harmed, nobody was hurt and it was easily cleaned up.

Sounds like someone needs to pay a midnight visit to the superintendents house and TP some trees.

Agreed! I hope somebody does just that.

 

[marcyinPA]

Gosh, that is nothing compared to what the kids at my DS17's high school have done over the years. Last year, they burned a very large- VERY LARGE ***** into the grass on the side of the school. It still doesn't grow back right! Ok, it was sensored. Well, male body part.

And three years ago, they put baby oil all over every step in the building- the story is that a pregnant student fell down the steps and lost her baby. Don't know if that part is truth, but I do know that many students fell that day.

I think our administration would welcome post-it notes!

 

[FINFAN]

It was a harmless prank, no property was harmed, nobody was hurt and it was easily cleaned up.

Sounds like someone needs to pay a midnight visit to the superintendents house and TP some trees.

Way to suck even more fun out of going to school. These kids did nothing wrong but have a little (clean) fun. With what most seniors are doing these days (both in and out of school), they should be awarded for being good kids.

MTE! Geez...lifeless drones must be whatthe scool wants to produce. There is a real world out there that isn't easy, but lets keeps beating down kids for trying to have some spunk and personality. Talk about over-reacting.

No, the janitor should not have been fired...as a matter of fact those post-its were tastefully done and even look like they add school spirit! Sheesh......schools do not know how good they've got it sometimes.

 

[Colleen27]

I don't understand punishing a harmless prank so severely. The unwritten rule when we were in school was that if a senior prank wasn't dangerous and didn't damage anything, the worst punishment doled out would be clean-up duty.

 

[Kae]

Compared to the other pranks in the story it was harmless.

It was a good prank, too bad they couldn't have done it from the outside so they would not have entered the school. Maybe give the kid community service hours, clean up what they did & maybe do some work to the sport areas of the school grounds, like 8 hours each.

Board Member & Janitor are adults & should have know what the reactions were gonna be.

Disclosure: My nephew taught & was an Asst. Football coach at Cascade, great school.

Kae

 

[luvmy3]

I think the suspension of the students involved in the prank should stand. They violated school rules, and the punishment is suspension. The fact that it was a harmless prank doesn't really matter. Actions have consequences, and if you are willing to do the action, then you should be willing to suck up the consequences.

The board member should absolutely be asked to resign.

 

[luvmy3]

I don't understand punishing a harmless prank so severely. The unwritten rule when we were in school was that if a senior prank wasn't dangerous and didn't damage anything, the worst punishment doled out would be clean-up duty.

The punishment was for trespassing, not just the prank itself.

 

[kamik86]

The punishment for the students... maybe clean up the post it notes but I can't think of anything worse.

For the janitor, if they knew the school board member gave them access he would then assume they had permission... and then he supervised them so they did nothing really wrong... commendation for the janitor.

School board member was kind of dumb because I can think of many other things the kids COULD have done with the access to the school that would have been much worse so unless he went and supervised asking him to resign is ok IMO.

 

[kamik86]

The punishment was for trespassing, not just the prank itself.

But do you not understand how a group of 17 and 18 year olds would think they had permission since the school board member let them? How are they supposed to know that the school board member isn't allowed to do that?

 

[goofy4tink]

But do you not understand how a group of 17 and 18 year olds would think they had permission since the school board member let them? How are they supposed to know that the school board member isn't allowed to do that?

Weeelllllll, one would assume that these kids knew what they were doing, and that it was probably not 'okay' even though a mom gave them her key. Technically? They weren't there for any school activity...at least one that was sanctioned by the school dept. So, basically, they were tresspassing.
But, while I know that there are repercussions to actions...consequences....it was really good clean fun. And showed some terrific creativity.
Dear heavens...look at what the MIT kids do every year..it's always more outrageous than the previous year.

 

[BillBrasky]

How do you get to a point in life where you are so devoid of a sense of humor that you're firing people and suspending students over stuff like this?