Schools Get Tough on Pranks

Nathan Koppel:

It is a time-honored ritual for high-school students: flouting authority one last time before graduation.

But this year, the senior prank has been no laughing matter at schools around the country. Administrators have suspended or even filed criminal charges against students for pranks that have ranged from the classic food fight to creative uses of animals to cause an uproar.

"Schools understand that students want to leave their mark on the way out the door, but a better way to do that is to take up a donation and plant an oak tree," said Mark Goulet, a lawyer for the school board in Smithville, Texas, where students last month were suspended after a cafeteria food fight involving burritos.

"Some kids ordered double lunches," Mr. Goulet said. "It was a melee."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 8, 2012 1:37 AM
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