Students have called it a senior prank. Officials call it vandalism. The North Carolina school district is suing.
In the past month, several school districts across the state have filed charges against students over the pranks, saying they are anything but harmless. The Burlington Police Department recently announced charges were brought against seven students allegedly involved in the Walter M Williams High School incident.
The incident made national headlines over the destructive event, which the school has decried.
Students poured cement mixture into eight toilets and six urinals during the break-in.
Les Atkins, a spokesperson for the Alamance-Burlington School System (ABSS), revealed that fixing the cement damage alone cost $14,000.
Atkins revealed that there were “about 17 maintenance workers” on the school premises, adding it wasn’t only cement but also “Baby powder was all over the gym” and “inappropriate signs and balloons all over the school.”
He added that the damage also included soil in the hallways, among other things.
Atkins also explained that some administrators also had to get involved in cleaning up toilet paper.
However, the problem is not isolated.
West Alamance High School in Elon, North Carolina, was littered with eggs and trash thrown everywhere.
At Southern Alamance in Graham, seniors dumped dead fish in the parking lot and on wrestling mats, dumped old equipment on campus, and put a moped on its roof.
“This really goes beyond a prank at this point. This is destruction of school property,” Atkins said.
Five seniors and two sophomores now face charges for their involvement in the property damage and cement mixing at Williams High.
