Seniors Punished Harshly for Chalk Prank
The administration at Arrowhead High School gets Miss Fidget’s “Tight Ass Jerk Water School Administration of the Year” Award in 2009.
Banned from graduation ceremony, students show up anyway and protest.
Link to slide show that may or may not work.
9 Not Allowed To Attend Graduation Ceremony
Students Suspended For Senior Prank
www.wisn.com | June 8, 2009
HARTLAND, Wis. — A senior prank cost nine seniors from Arrowhead High School from walking in their graduation ceremony Sunday afternoon.
The nine seniors called the prank “harmless,” but school administrators said it still crossed the line.
The group used sidewalk chalk to write “Class of 09″ and some small designs on the school building Thursday night.
“In some ways I thought it was a pretty lame prank, you know, it looked more like a decoration,” says James Clark, one of the seniors who was suspended. “It just said ‘Class of ’09.’ And it had some pictures. Someone drew like a ‘Tweety’ bird or something.”
James says the chalk was up for two hours before they had to clean it up.
While the rest of the class prepared for their graduation ceremony on Sunday, the seniors held signs near the road — saying things like “They’re unfair, they don’t care,” and “We can’t walk, cuz we used chalk.”
“It’s disappointing, especially for other people who have family coming in from out of state, expecting a graduation ceremony,” Clark said.
Clark’s parents said they’re fine with the one day suspension, but said the entire punishment doesn’t fit the crime.
Beth, Clark’s mother said, “The suspension is fine, having to clean it up is fine, not going to senior party, possibly fine, but to not allow them to walk with the rest of their classmates like they’re some criminals unfit to be in the same room with them, it’s a little extreme.”
James’ parents appealed the suspension, but it was denied by the district superintendent, Craig Jefson. Jefson sent them a letter.
It read, in part: “James and the other students were aware that their behavior at this time could prompt their suspension from school and resulting loss of privilege to participate in the graduation ceremony, yet they participated in the disruption anyway. … I needed to consider the message to current and future students that disruption of the school environment cannot be acceptable in some situations and not others.”
“After all the hard work, we worked 12 years. We’ve been looking forward to this all year, and now it was just taken away from us — even after we cleaned it up that night,” Brittany Sands said.
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