Disciplined for Pranks
Senior pranks gone too far at East Hampton High School have resulted in about 50 students losing the privilege of attending their senior banquet on June 24, school officials said this week.
According to a letter posted yesterday by Richard Burns, the district superintendent, “the most serious transgression was that some seniors entered a building without permission through a locked door. Damage to school property was at a minimum.”
Also according to the letter, senior prank day “always occurred with adult supervision,” but that was not the case this year. Mr. Burns later said by phone that the district is reviewing its tradition of allowing a supervised senior prank.
As rumors of various acts of vandalism and mischief swirled, school officials initially would not confirm or deny any of them, although Mr. Burns did say last week that no animals had been harmed. Yesterday, he debunked some of the rumors: A fake giraffe had not been thrown onto the school’s roof, an old trophy wasn’t destroyed but merely moved, and small holes drilled in the school’s roof did not invalidate the warranty on the work done there.
“Most of what happened were things being moved around, like desks from the cafeteria put out on the lawn,” Mr. Burns said yesterday. “There was Pam sprayed on the lockers. It was just a matter of cleaning.”
“There’s a certain relationship between the building’s administration and the students,” he continued. “When I said how disheartening it was to them, it was because they just go so above and beyond with everything. This is a very special place, and the students broke that trust.”
In an email to parents on Tuesday, Adam Fine, the high school principal, said students were “well aware” that the pranks “went beyond acceptable student behavior.”
“At this point, all of the students who participated in that incident have been addressed, and appropriate consequences have been assigned,” Mr. Fine said. “It is very clear to the high school administration that none of these students intended do harm to our school. By no means should this incident define the class of 2016. It is now time for us to move forward.”