SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — Some students at a Tennessee high school will have to pay up after a senior prank got out of hand, officials say.
Spring Hill High School was forced to close last Friday after school property was damaged and vandalized, NewsNatoin affiliate WKRN previously reported. Spring Hill is about 35 miles south of Nashville.
The night before, roughly 100 students had been given permission to do a senior prank, according to Maury County Sheriff Bucky Rowland. School officials were on hand to let those students into the building.
The activities unfortunately got out of hand.
While the damage “was not as bad as we originally anticipated,” Maury County School Superintendent Lisa Ventura told WKRN it was “pretty devastating, pretty disappointing.”
Teachers, administrators, and maintenance crews spent Friday cleaning up the mess with the Ventura.
“There was a lot of food stuff, a lot of toilet paper, a lot of debris,” Ventura explained Friday, adding that there were paintballs and a number of liquids throughout the halls and classrooms.
Tricia and Kaleigh Totty, two students at the school, told WKRN they saw “desks piled up, books everywhere, trash spread throughout the school” on social media. Kaleigh Totty, a senior, said she had to miss her last day of school because of the damages.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” she said.
Devan Allen told WKRN her daughter was at Spring Hill High School last Thursday “to do approved activities for the senior prank.”
“It definitely went too far, no question; way too far,” Allen said about the damages that occurred.
Several parents, including Allen, said they received calls Monday saying students who took part in the senior prank day were told they would have to pay a $50 restitution fee and work two hours of community service.
“I was fine with it. I think consequences come with actions. Although she was told it was approved, she was still there. She was fine; she was going to pay the fee with her own money and do the service like they were requiring,” Allen explained.
On Tuesday afternoon, however, Allen received a second message from the school saying upon further video review, her child wouldn’t be required to pay or work community service after all.
“My understanding would be they are re-evaluating the cameras and seeing who did the approved activities and who did the unapproved activities,” Allen said.
As for the vandals, Allen said those students should face charges.
“It was just a few bad apples, and I hate that we are getting a bad name, and her class is getting a bad name because it’s not deserved,” said Allen.
Rowland said many of the students have been identified through surveillance footage and that he considered the damage at the high school to be vandalism. He said right now, school officials don’t plan to press charges.
WKRN reached out to school officials who said they don’t have a comment at this time.