Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Please use the button below to manage your account.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Please purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.
More than 80 students from Alamance County high schools will not be allowed to participate in upcoming graduation ceremonies because of their involvement in break-ins and senior pranks across the district, the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education said Thursday.
As the investigations continue, the number of students who will be barred from graduation is expected to increase, a statement issued by the board said.
“We feel it is important to bring clarity to this unfortunate situation and to be transparent with the community. Please know we do believe important milestones should be celebrated, yet we do expect our students to do so in a respectful manner,” the statement said. “The disruption of learning, monetary costs to our District, extra burden on our facilities team and, at several campuses, the disregard for student safety simply cannot be tolerated.”
Among the pranks was one late on the night of May 25 in which eight toilets and six urinals at Walter M. Williams High School were filled with cement, causing more than $4,000 worth of damage. Five 18-year-olds and two people under 18 have been charged in that prank.
Other pranks included overturned desks, dead fish dumped in a parking lot, graffiti and a moped parked on the roof.
All six high school principals were instructed to notify parents if their student entered school buildings or vandalized the exterior or interior of buildings, the school board said.
Graduating seniors who took part in pranks are suspended from campus for the remainder of the academic year and will not participate in graduation ceremonies, the board said. They will be allowed to come to campus on Monday, June 12, during regular business hours to pick up their diploma from their school office.
Participating students who are not graduating seniors will be suspended for the remainder of this school year and will be recommended for additional consequences under the school system’s Code of Conduct.
Students suspected of damaging school property will also be reported to law enforcement.
The school system issued a statement calling for an end to pranks.
“Going forward we encourage senior classes to raise money to donate a gift to the school such as a bench, picnic table, or something else of significance. Perhaps come together to do a community services project either on our campus or in our community with the proper permissions and approvals,” the statement said. “By choosing these alternatives, you can celebrate your graduation in a way that respects your school, fosters positive relationships, and leaves a legacy of positivity for future students.”
