Parents at James Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Ill. say school administered overreacted to this year's senior prank, where at least three students were arrested and more were barred from prom and graduation.
Much of the school's senior class participated in a flash mob-style senior prank, where video footage shows students cheering, chanting, crowd-surfing and spraying glitter and silly string into the air, the Chicago Tribune reports. Approximately 10 police officers were sent to the school to disperse the crowd.
(See footage from the prank below.)
Seniors Angelo Tolley and Omar Moreno were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, according to CBS Chicago. Tolley told the station he was arrested when he opened a can of root beer that had been jostled during the commotion, spraying everyone around him.
“In reality, it’s hurting not only us, but also our families,” Moreno said of the arrest and the charges against him.
Parents have complained to the school and police department that the situation was overblown, and the punishments facing their students are too harsh, according to ABC Chicago. But the district and police say they acted appropriately.
"Our parents put a great deal of trust in us making sure their kids are safe and that’s what we were trying to do," District 211 Director of Community Relations Tom Petersen told NBC Chicago.
School officials say they are continuing to investigate the incident.