Daisy Phillipson
A school in Texas has closed early for summer after a student prank got out of hand and ended up costing thousands in damages.
Officials from Memorial High School in Frisco had originally sanctioned the prank, which was supposed to involve a bunch of Post-it notes stuck around the building.
But things quickly got out of hand, with videos shared on TikTok showing students trashing the place, setting off fire extinguishers and covering up CCTV cameras.
Emergency services were eventually called over to help settle the situation, and now the school is facing a massive cleanup operation estimated to cost thousands of dollars.
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In a letter to parents obtained by Fox4, Memorial’s administrators wrote: “A small group of students from Memorial High School was approved to use Post-it notes on the walls to decorate and place messages around the campus as part of their senior prank last night.
“Staff members were on-site to monitor students, but the situation devolved rapidly, and the Frisco Police and Fire Departments became involved. Students vandalized the campus to a point that classes are not able to be held at MHS for the remainder of the week.”
The letter continued: “Damage is estimated in the thousands of dollars and includes paint on the walls, destruction of furniture, discharged fire extinguishers throughout campus and more.
“Every surface on the 300,000 sq. ft. campus must be cleaned, including the walls, ceilings and floors. Frisco ISD will hold the students responsible for costs associated with the clean up.”
A number of senior students who weren’t involved in the prank have spoken out about the incident after seeing it go viral on social media, describing how they are disappointed in the few teens who ruined the last couple of days of school for the rest of them.
That includes Abhi Bandi, who told NBC DFW: “These two days were going to be our last days to say goodbyes to people we may never see again, say goodbye to our teachers that we care for so much.
“It’s the whole class that had it ruined just because of a few kids that decided to vandalize the school.”
Senior Ryan Song added, “I don’t want everyone to know Memorial High School and FISD in general as delinquents because our school year was defined by a lot more than just that.
“Pranks are OK. Pranks are funny. But there’s a fine line between a prank and breaking the law and once you break that law and you cross that barrier, you can’t defend these actions.”
The campus and district staff confirmed they are working with the Frisco Police Department in order to identify those responsible for the wreckage, adding that those who are caught will be punished.
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