Senior prank leads to commencement ban

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - Fort Madison School district officials have suspended approximately 20 seniors after a Sunday night vandalism spree that took place inside the Fort Madison High School.

The suspension is through June 3, which would preclude the students from participating in graduation ceremonies on Saturday, June 2.

Parents of the students involved in what was described as water balloons being thrown inside the building, tp-ing inside the school building and putting Vaseline on the door knobs throughout the school, made presentations to the board.

At Monday night's regular school board meeting, about 60 parents and students showed up for the meeting. Two parents and three students spoke to the issue.

Superintendent Erin Slater said after the meeting that she couldn't confirm or comment on disciplinary action against any students. She also didn't comment on whether the board would reconsider the penalties.

However students outside the meeting afterwards confirmed that 20 students have been suspended and are facing criminal vandalism charges and are currently banned from participating in graduation ceremonies.

Two seniors, McKenna Fehseke and Sierra Howardson, both gave emotional pleas for the board and superintendent to reconsider the penalty of the graduation.

"I'm hear to try to remediate some things that happened this morning," Fehseke said.

"About 20% of the class was told we cannot attend graduation and we are suspended and we are facing criminal charges," she said. "I'm hear to ask that decision be revoked regarding graduation. We all would do what we can, and is necessary, to fix what we've done. Whether that is set up or tear down graduation...anything we can do we are willing to do."

Fehseke said of all the students have learned in their four years at the FMHS, the biggest lesson probably came Monday when they learned actions have consequences.

"Our small ideas which are meant to be fun and games have real consequences and we did not take that into consideration when we made the decision we did. I think we are all ashamed of what we've done so I ask you please, as a school board, please allow us to get back on the right track and allow us to walk the stage with the other 80% of our class."

Fehseke's father, Richard, said parents will be appealing the district's decision to suspend the students. He asked that the board consider alternative punishments that would send the right message about consequences but at the same time allow the students to participate in graduation ceremonies.

"It's a common practice that seniors do something as a senior class prank and echoing what McKenna has said, fun and games have consequences that impact others. I've talked with people investigating the incident. This involved students going into the school tp'ing, throwing water balloons, and putting Vaseline on the door handles. Concern existed that there may be some permanent damages. Fortunately as the day progressed we found out there wasn't permanent damages," Fehseke said.

"The decision of the school board and superintendent to suspend more than 20 seniors for the rest of their senior year and deny them participating in commencment proceedings is gonna be appealed by a lot of parents."

He said the appeal works on procedural and result-based grounds, and the parent groups were going to ask the school board and superintendent to review the punishment in light of the circumstances for other appropriate steps that can be taken that would allow them to participate in commencement.

Senior Sierra Howardson was also emotional in her plea to be allowed to graduate.

"The reason I'm standing before you is not a reason I'm proud of. Over the weekend the senior class planned and followed a childish tradition to TP the FMHS," she said. "While this prank appeared to be harmless, to it lead to members of our student body entering the school and vandalizing the inside of our school and for this I'm deeply sorry."

Howardson said she was pleading on behalf of her fellow students and asked the board for leniency.

"While I will be the first to volunteer and clean up and do community service to pay for my horrible choices, I just ask that you please not take away the beautiful memories my class and I will make on graduation day," she said.

Senior Logan Allen said he was part of the prank and understood the acts caused problems but didn't want his mother to not have the chance to see him go across the stage.

"I was part of the senior class prank, but my mom has not seen one of her kids graduate high school and my mom doesn't deserve to not see a child walk across the stage because of a mistake I made," Allen said.

No decision was made nor were any comments made by the board other than board President Tim Wondra thanking those who spoke for their participation.

In other action, the board:

• heard from Brian Wright, who addressed the board about bruises that his daughter allegedly received at the hands of a school administrator for not saying good morning on the way into school. Wright produced pictures of the student's bruised arm and directed any additional questions on the matter to Curtis Dial, a Keokuk attorney. Wright didn't identify the administrator by name, but asked the board for the administrator's dismissal.

•approved tentative union agreements with school teamster staffing.

•approved several policy changes. The changes are part of an ongoing process to bring district codes in line with the Iowa State Board of Education.

banned, commencement, fmcsd, fort madison, Graduation, schools, senior prank, seniors

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