When it comes to senior pranks, it's all fun and games until someone gets suspended -- or even arrested. And as senior pranks become increasingly daring, punishments are getting more harsh. This year, students across the country were barred from graduation and in some cases taken in by the cops for deviant behavior.
Last week, the Los Angeles Times reported that 50 students at Heritage High School in Brentwood, California were suspended and prohibited from walking at graduation for participating in a particularly ill-advised senior prank. The students spray-painted "2012" on a lamb and tied it to a post. They also stole school banners, poured washable paint on the ground, and ran around with the paint on their feet.
And at a high school in Sacramento, a group of upperclassmen threw raw eggs, spray-painted on walls, and even smeared peanut butter on door handles all over the school. Because of the prank, students with peanut allergies were forced to stay home from school the next day and one had to visit the doctor.
School administrators took action against the 30 students involved, and banned them from walking at graduation.
"No one is saying that these aren't good kids," Sacramento City Unified spokesman Gabe Ross told the Los Angeles Times. "But when the mistake rises to that level, we owe it to kids to teach them that there are repercussions."
And in the aftermath of a recent senior prank in Connecticut, it wasn't just school officials who had to take action. Local firefighters were called to the school to remove several pygmy goats from an overhang above the entrance to the high school. The police are now working with the school to determine who is responsible for the prank.
To avoid these type of incidences, Kenowa Hills High School in Michigan banned senior pranks entirely. But as a surprise, the upperclassmen organized a 65-student bike ride to school together on their last day, complete with a police escort and pre-ride donuts from the town's mayor. The principal, however, saw the "senior send-off" as a violation of the no-prank policy, and had the participating students suspended.
In more serious cases, the pranks can cause permanent -- and costly -- damage to the school. Police had to step in and arrest four students in Fillmore, California who caused $2,000 worth of damage to the school in the name of a prank. Due to extensive damage on 16 locks on classroom doors throughout the school, the students were put in jail with a bail set at $10,000 each.
Do you think these students are out of line, or is it all in good fun? Has an out-of-control senior prank ever taken place at your school? Sound off in the comments below or tweet @HuffPostTeen!