Alamance County School System warns seniors against pranks

BURLINGTON, N.C. (WGHP) — Last year, a total of 82 seniors across the Alamance-Burlington School System couldn’t attend graduation due to senior pranks that went too far.

The district is warning students not to pull stunts this year.

ABSS said so far, there have been no issues this school year with senior pranks. Since the beginning of the school year, the topic of senior pranks has been discussed several times with the class of 2024 and their parents.

Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said students need to be aware of how the consequences could hurt their futures.

“When you graduate or you finish your years in high school, you want to go home and feel good about yourself and not carry a criminal record,” Johnson said.

ABSS has been warning high school seniors this entire school year about the risks and consequences associated with senior pranks.

Last year, seven students, including five seniors and two underclassmen, were later charged with misdemeanor property damage and breaking and entering in one of the senior prank incidents.

In May of 2023, pranks at Williams, Western, Eastern, Southern, Cummings, and Graham High Schools went too far. Law enforcement considered the pranks vandalism.

Some of the acts included putting cement and tennis balls in toilets and urinals, putting a moped and traffic barrier on school roofs, graffiti, damage to classrooms and hallways, and egging multiple walls.

“If I was a student, I could tell you that they need to understand that … graduation is a pleasant day … and a monumental day, and they’re doing something stupid just for a senior prank,” Johnson said.

Throughout this school year, principals communicated potential consequences for pranks through graduation ceremony information documents and emails.

A spokesperson with ABSS said the potential consequences emphasized to students for senior pranks include punishments outlined in the student code of conduct, possible referral to law enforcement and not being able to participate in graduation ceremonies and not walking across the stage to receive their diploma.

Last year, 80 students from the district were not allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies.

Johnson said senior pranks that involve criminal activity like breaking and entering will not be tolerated.

“We are going to be very, very strict as a sheriff’s office this year. If anything is done to enter the schools or tear up the schools or destroy anything, they can look at facing charges,” Johnson said.

The last day of the school year for ABSS is one month away on June 7.

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