Graduation is supposed to be a time of celebration for students, family and staff.
It is a celebration of more than a decade of work.Â
Now, 11 of 271 seniors at Wetumpka High School will not walk at Tuesday night's graduation ceremonies because of a “senior prank.” Cassandra Lucas said her daughter was involved in the prank and subsequent cleanup, but has been told she cannot participate in graduation.
At least one hall of Wetumpka High School was covered with paper, pine straw and streamers in a Tuesday night high school senior prank.
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“They had copy paper, flour, ketchup, silly string, party streamers,” Lucas said. “They had pine straw and moved like five desks into a hallway.”
Lucas said the students placed the materials in the hallways and one student was caught as they were leaving the school. The students returned to clean things up.
“They cleaned until 1 a.m. and left,” Lucas said.
Lucas said her daughter and other students feel singled out because previous senior pranks have been similar, and without discipline to the level of her daughter’s.
“Nothing was damaged and everything was cleaned,” Lucas said. “Some students who participated did much more than others yet the entire group is being punished. This situation has left many students feeling very disheartened to the point where they feel like giving up entirely.”
Elmore County Schools superintendent Richard Dennis said Wetumpka High School principal Kyle Futral sent all seniors a message a month ago that entering the school when closed carries a punishment of 30 days in alternative school.
“[It] would cause you to be unable to participate in the remaining senior activities,” the message said.
Tables in the cafeteria of Wetumpka High School was moved and some to the sides during a senior prank Tuesday night.
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Lucas said in previous years of the prank, no students were punished and that last year’s prank was similar. Dennis said no discipline action was reported to the central office last year in regards to a senior prank.
“I heard they put honey on some door handles,” Dennis said. “In Eclectic, it wasn’t reported to the central office. It was just a few balloons, some confetti and Post-It notes.”
Dennis said even after the students and staff cleaned up this year at Wetumpka, a third party was hired to finish as there was still ketchup and flour on the walls of the building.
“When we have to hire a cleaning crew to come in, it comes to me,” Dennis said. “The principal could have pursued trespassing charges but hasn’t.”
Dennis once served as principal at Wetumpka High School. He said students pulled a prank and he pursued disciplinary actions.
“They came in at homecoming,” Dennis said. “They put chickens inside.”
Lucas believes students should be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies given the lack of discipline in previous years.
“We are trying to push for the students to have community service or any other punishment than not being able to walk,” Lucas said.
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