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Dozens of students in North Carolina have been banned from graduation following end-of-the-year "pranks" and what police describe as acts of vandalism.
Multiple school districts are dealing with harmful pranks that range from placing a moped on the roof of a school to filling toilets with concrete, per WFLA. Several students involved in the incidents have been barred from graduation, but some are facing charges for their actions.
According to the Burlington Police Department, seven students, five seniors and two underclassmen, are facing charges of misdemeanor property damage and breaking and entering at Walter M. Williams High School for reportedly pouring cement mix into eight toilets and six urinals. The seniors are barred from graduation exercises while the underclassmen will face long-term suspension, meaning they will not be allowed on campus for the first nine weeks of the next school year.
In addition to the cement, baby powder was spread in the gym and mulch placed in the halls, while inappropriate signs and balloons were found around the school.
Other schools around the district were also hit with unfortunate pranks. Western Alamance High School was egged and had trash dumped on the campus, while students at Southern Alamance High put dead fish in the parking lot and a moped on the roof.
Alamance-Burlington School System spokesperson Les Atkins called said the concrete incident caused $4,000 worth of damage. He added that the incidents across the district "[go] beyond pranks at this point" and were actually "destruction of school property."
In all, more than 80 seniors are not allowed to participate in graduation exercises, the ABSS Board of Education said, with 60 of those students being from Williams High School. As the investigation continues, however, officials believe the number of barred students will increase.
"We feel it is important to bring clarity to this unfortunate situation and to be transparent with the community," the ABSS BOE said in a recent release. "Please know we do believe important milestones should be celebrated yet we do expect our students to do so in a respectful manner. 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."