TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Hernando High Pranksters Identified

ADVERTISEMENT

By LINNEA BROWN

Hernando Today

Published: June 4, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Two students have admitted to carrying out an alleged senior prank at Hernando High School in which fake letters and condoms were sent to as many as 400 students' parents.

Though the district is not releasing the student's names because the investigation is ongoing, school principal Betty Harper confirmed that two seniors have claimed responsibility for the prank letters.

"We think more students may be involved," she said.

The letters - which were printed on official school letterhead and stamped with the school's automated postage machine - regarded sex education and were sent specifically to parents of sophomores at the school, using address labels taken from the school's computer database.

Harper said officials will be following school board policy to devise appropriate disciplinary action for the end-of-the-year prank, which falls under the board's "other major offense" category.

Since the students were both seniors and finished with their final exams, testing and classes, they cannot be suspended or kept from graduating.

"It's a suspendable offense, but because school is over, it's tricky," Harper said.

But that doesn't mean they won't be punished.

Means of restitution will likely include repaying the school for the cost of the used postage, stamps and envelopes - likely several hundred dollars - and apologizing to all parents who received the letters, Harper said.
School officials will also likely change the school's procedures for as many as 70 students in the school's executive internship program, some of whom have duties that involve accessing addresses from the school's database and operating the postage machine in the front office.

"It's a shame. It really is," Harper said. "You're trying to prepare them to be responsible adults, and it's a shame that they betrayed the confidence and trust we had in them."

She said officials also believe the letters were mailed from the school.

"It's just terrible," Harper said.

Monday afternoon, officials used the district's automated telephone system to call the homes of all sophomore parents at the school with a message that the letters were fake and appeared to have been a prank. Though they are still not sure how many students' parents received the letters, the students are all believed to be sophomores. Currently, there are 400 students in the school's sophomore class.

The letters stated that sex education classes will no longer be offered at the Brooksville school. Enclosed in each letter was a wrapped condom and encouragement for parents to "take on the responsibility of teaching their children about safe sex."

The letter retains a serious tone and fictitious contact names - all thinly veiled sexual innuendoes - and invites parents to call the school and ask for them.

Many parents took the letter seriously, until they read the last paragraph containing the fictitious names.

The names were similar to those used in the Austin Powers movies.

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT