80 students banned from graduations after senior pranks; more bans possible
More than 80 students will not be allowed to participate in upcoming graduation ceremonies due to senior pranks.
By WXII Staff
Click here for updates on this story
BURLINGTON, North Carolina (WXII) — The Board of Education for the Alamance-Burlington School System says more than 80 students from the district will not be allowed to participate in upcoming graduation ceremonies.
“These students were identified entering our school buildings as part of senior pranks across the district,” the board said in a statement.
Seven of these students were identified and charged by the Burlington Police Department for damaging eight toilets and six urinals at Walter Williams High School, costing the district more than $4,000.
Vandalism was also reported at Western, Eastern, Southern, Cummings and Graham high schools. ABSS said maintenance crews reported things like overturned desks, graffiti and garbage on those campuses.
Benjamin Ouzts, Alex Solari, Ethan Clements, Cameron Cheek, and Jacob Church, all 18 years old, were charged with misdemeanor breaking-and-entering and misdemeanor injury to property.
Two other juveniles, under the age of 18, were referred to Youth Diversion.
The board said all six high school principals were instructed to notify parents if their student entered/trespassed school buildings and/or vandalized the exterior or interior of buildings.
The graduation suspension isn’t the only punishment. Those 80-plus seniors are also suspended from campus for the remainder of the academic year.
“Other students who are not graduating seniors will be suspended for the remainder of this school year and will be recommended for additional consequences under the Code of Conduct,” the board said in a statement. “Students suspected of damage to school property will also be reported to law enforcement.”
The board said as the investigations at the high schools continue, they anticipate the number of students who will not participate in graduation to increase.
“We feel it is important to bring clarity to this unfortunate situation and to be transparent with the community. 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,” the board said in a statement.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
