Posted on 06/05/2012 3:20:32 PM PDT by GSWarrior
BRENTWOOD (KCBS) — More than two-dozen high school seniors at Heritage High School in Brentwood were suspended for a prank the principal says “crossed the line.”
The mass suspension includes barring students from walking with their graduating class at commencement in addition to not being able to take their final exams. At least 25 students have been identified so far, but the investigation continues. Some students said they need to take finals in order to earn their diploma.
“We knew we’d get in a little bit of trouble, we didn’t think we’d get suspended for five days and not walk,” said Senior Marcos Sanchez, who was on hand Thursday night with about 100 other Heritage High School Seniors. There intention was to leave washable paint footprints on the walkways and saran wrap some objects on campus.
“We also removed the cement benches and we stacked them. They’re really heavy and we stacked them on top of each other and then we saran wrapped it shut,” said Sanchez. “It was pretty funny.”
First-year principal Larry Oshodi said not only was paint splattered “everywhere on campus,” but students relocated a 500 pound concrete bench and tied a lamb in chains to a pole. Banners and signs were also removed from structures on campus.
“What happened however was not just a little bit of washable paint…or some harmless prank with an animal,” said Oshodi.
Some students and parents were in tears as they spoke to local media, but Oshodi maintained that this was the hand that he was dealt and that there has to be consequences.
A Brentwood campus police officer escorted principal Oshodi as he walked through campus Monday. Oshodi said he has also had several supportive messages from parents, but plans to meet with individuals who are upset about the punishment.
Make them clean it up and fix it and call it good. Thank God they didn’t go overboard and ride their bikes to school or something.
I can see the student’s lawyers lined up around the block!!!
Let the kids graduate fine the parents up the ying yang
As long as they didn’t drink a 16 oz soda they should be set free. But if they did, give em the chair.
cripplecreek you called it right.
In the OT, people had to pay back four times what they did. I say have them clean and fix it all, then three times the amount of work over. Of course, in today’s controlled society, that’s probably impossible - from parents insisting their kids can’t do the work to unions saying kids can’t do THEIR work.
But that’s the answer, in a good and common sense society.
Appoint the bit smart alec of the bunch to keep a photo and timesheet record rather than painting. That will really pi** off the "followers" and crimp the smart alec's leadershi* skills.
I saw on the news the other day the seniors had put a old pickup truck around a pillar at the front entrance to the school. Seems the school offered welding classes for the first time this year! The welding class cut the truck in half, hole in the bed, and welded it back together around the pillar!
A note on it said they would be back the following evening to remove it. The truck was painted in school colors with class graffiti, etc.
Pretty clever!
Agreed with this article that the kids crossed the line, but also agree on cleaning it up and more and they get to graduate. (Maybe miss the ceremony though as that seems to be a standard punishment - which they were expecting).
I think it’s reasonable to suspend students who kept other students from taking their finals, but punishing the other pranks through suspensions seems ham handed.
I must be really old. Graduation pranks have been a tradition, and understood as students blowing off steam with the stress of finals. My nursing graduating class was the first class of mostly adults and after the discontinuation of on campus housing. We didn’t send anyone naked up the hospital elevator, or put trashy underwear on the school statue like the previous class. We did put up a lot of “Thank You” banners for the doctors and nurses that helped us get to graduation. I can understand not letting the kids walk as a punishment, but not letting them take their finals seems a bit over the top.
And then we vandalized some more, broke some windows, and destroyed some more property. It was hilarious!
“... in a good and common sense society.”
There exists one of those wonderful places? Pray tell, where?
In the little town where I grew up we had one part time cop and we respected him for handling things his way. If he caught us doing something we shouldn’t have, he imposed his own brand of community service without the “benefit” of courts.
Lots of little projects around town got done cheaply because of it. Better yet as we got older we taking care of things without being asked. I remember finding my cousin with his lawn tractor and a trailer raking the wide road shoulder were we parked next to the park. Someone had broken a beer bottle and he was cleaning it up so nobody punctured a tire or cut their feet.
Find yourself a little town of under 500 people and chances are you will have found it. It might take a while to get “in” but it will be worth the time invested.
One would think that a journalist would know the difference between "there," "their," and "they're."
Agree. There will always be pranks. As long as no permanent damage was caused just make them put it all back as it was before they started.
Yup I worked in Brentwood for about 15 years Fine the bastards anyways
I agree, a pressure washer will take the paint off of the cement, it isn’t the end of the world. I would make them reverse all the damage and add a few tasks on top of it.
Good advice.
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