POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — After a senior prank at Powhatan High School caused significant damage to school property, community members are now saying the investigation into the prank is not being handled properly and there is a lack of transparency from Powhatan school leaders.
Powhatan High parent Faith Flippo called for answers during a school board meeting on Tuesday, May 9 two weeks after staff left students unattended after hours and a senior prank went too far.
“This is your fault. I’m sorry. No one else is to blame,” Flippo said during Tuesday’s meeting.
Email conversations obtained by 8News between a Powhatan High senior and administrations show that 50 to 60 students were given permission to throw paper in the halls, spring silly string, put sticky notes on the wall and other approved activities for a senior prank on Tuesday, April 25.
However, a Powhatan High senior says things took a turn when administrators never showed up to monitor the students. Students ended up trashing classrooms and the school library, dumping sand in the hallways, spray painting the walls with temporary paint and hair color, dismantling electrical systems and letting a goat in the veterinary sciences area out of its pen.
School staff and local law enforcement did not recommend legal charges against students. Instead, school staff began meeting with students involved in the prank last week and issued in-school punishments like short suspensions, paying for damages and not being able to attend events like the senior trip, prom or graduation.
“I couldn’t be more embarrassed and ashamed of how the school district has handled the recent events and how they have punished the most loyal students,” one senior said.
According to the student code of conduct, any student given a short term suspension — except for in an emergency situation where the student must be removed immediately — should have an informal hearing explaining the charges and given an opportunity to respond before being suspended.
But some students say, that process did not happen.
“The following week, at the end of the day I was called into my admin’s office where she handed me a suspension letter. As I looked at the reasoning for why I was being suspended, it was something that I didn’t even do,” the Powhatan High senior said. “Not only did the school do ridiculous job of investigating everything, but they did not even take the time to look at the cameras, which would have instantly cleared my name.”
After receiving a six-day suspension, she could not attend senior activities including prom, the senior trip and senior picnic.
While Flippo says she does not condone the vandalism that took place, she wants school leaders to take reasonability for allowing the students in an unlocked school at 9 p.m.
8News requested to speak with the school superintendent on the matter and was told she will not be addressing the matter at the matter.
8News also requested surveillance footage from inside the school to help paint a picture of what exactly happened the night of April 25. We have not received a response.
