Hernando High Pranksters Identified


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.

----------------------------------

Mrs. Harper used to be my Asst Principal at Central High back in '98.

lol. that's funny

"It's just terrible," Harper said.

Except for the part about using the school's resources (paper and postage), I find that hilarious.

Quoted: Except for the part about using the school's resources (paper and postage), I find that hilarious.

pretty much.

Quoted: Except for the part about using the school's resources (paper and postage), I find that hilarious.

i dont get how the guys got caught.

Someone had to turn them in, or they were loud mouths./

Assuming the kids budgeted to pay the school back for supplies...it's pretty harmless as far as pranks go.

I'd have a hard time keeping SERIOUS FACE on while talking to reporters about how "bad" this was.  

They set a high bar for the next senior class to reach...

Quoted: lol. that's funny

And pretty smart
It would be tricky to pull a scam like that

Awsome Prank

My fiancee is a 9th grade teacher at a different HS in the same county.  She said that she heard from the teacher at Hernando High that there was a rumor going around about a senior prank involving the mail room, but most of the admins dismissed it.  

Well, the egg is on them.

Quoted: Except for the part about using the school's resources (paper and postage), I find that hilarious.

..and the school leaving student/parent names and addresses so accessible.

good prank though

Greatness

If it was me, I would pay the schools back for the supplies used, but for apologizing they would be SOL!



Great Prank!!!!  



Vulcan94

If I were the principle I would inform the pranksters that the last I saw their diplomas they were in the mail room. I would FedEx them to them the following year.

Thats pritty funny.

Bravo seniors.  You have just proved to me that at least a couple of you learned something while in school.  I salute you.

Copy of letter:  It actually made it on The Smoking Gun

Mr. Gimme Moorhead and Miss Ivanna Humpalot

Excellent!

Dr. Jach MeHoff

I guess I'll insert a joke I heard today at work.

Guy has a banana and is peeling it, mentions to me "you know, bananas are great for keeping your colon clean"

I just kind of looked at him, not at all suprised about a comment regarding colonic health given the usual "hey man, I just took a massive shit, stay out of the crapper for a while" type comments.

Then he casually says:

Yeah but.....turns out, you gotta eat 'em.

Quoted: Mr. Gimme Moorhead and Miss Ivanna Humpalot

Don't forget Dr. Jack Mehoff



That is to much.  Fucking epic win!

Pay back the school for the postage.

Apologize?  For what?  It was a harmless prank, for crying out loud.

I got more info...

I was told that it was two female students and two males.  The two females have confessed to the prank, but the two males didn't.  

It turns out that one of the male students is connected to some school official, but not sure which one or how high this official is placed.  

I was speaking to a teacher that teaches at Hernando.  He said the male student might be getting off on this because of his connections.  


ETA:  Oh, the girls have to pay $900 in restitution:  (400x)+ Envelopes, stationary, and electronic stamps.  The 'gang' bought the condoms out of their own pockets.

That's an expensive prank, but a harmless one at best.

Win.

That is just rich

Brilliant. I love how the school can't do anything about it but get the money back for the supplies.

It's great waking up that first day out of HS and realizing that you are no longer under the control of your teachers and principals. And that they couldn't do much of anything to you anyway.

What's really sad is that the school is almost certainly missing the point here.  Abstinence-only "sex education" equals higher teen pregnancy rates.  Teens are always going to screw around with each other.  When you don't tell them how to do it without getting pregnant (or catching a disease), you're just making things worse.  Really the parents should be the ones doing the sex ed talks, but given the abysmally low percentage of parents that actually do so, having real sex ed at school is a big help.  How much you want to bet the school changes nothing in the wake of this well-planned wake-up call?

Love it!

Quoted: Excellent! Dr. Jach MeHoff

Quoted: Quoted: ETA:  Oh, the girls have to pay $900 in restitution:  (400x)+ Envelopes, stationary, and electronic stamps.   The real crime is that the school is way overpaying for their stationary and postage.  400+ stamped envelopes and letters should come out in the $250 range.

Great prank.  

Quoted: Mr. Gimme Moorhead and Miss Ivanna Humpalot

Quoted: Quoted: ETA:  Oh, the girls have to pay $900 in restitution:  (400x)+ Envelopes, stationary, and electronic stamps.   The real crime is that the school is way overpaying for their stationary and postage.  400+ stamped envelopes and letters should come out in the $250 range.

I'd think a condom would be mechanically unsortable mail, and require higher postage.

Kharn

That's hillarious, it's a senior prank that didn't cause any damage I think I would have had a really hard time waxing offended by it.

Quoted: Hernando High Pranksters Identified 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 names were similar to those used in the Austin Powers movies. ---------------------------------- Mrs. Harper used to be my Asst Principal at Central High back in '98.

What parents taking on responsibility?  You don't say.

"Our very own Leopard land is overflowing with Leopard cubs"

If my kid was part of this prank I'd gladly chip in and help pay off the 'fine'.

Epic, and Well Done!

-Gator

I would bet the school is sending out an apology or explanation and charging the students for that too.

Quoted: "Our very own Leopard land is overflowing with Leopard cubs"

Their mascot is the leopard...  From what I heard, what pissed off the parents were the innuendos and that statement was one of them.  

Quoted: Brilliant. I love how the school can't do anything about it but get the money back for the supplies. It's great waking up that first day out of HS and realizing that you are no longer under the control of your teachers and principals. And that they couldn't do much of anything to you anyway.

They really can not make them pay for the supplies without....
Suing them civilly or prosecuting them criminally.  How else can they make them pay?
Is the case provable in court?  I doubt it.

Apparently the senior prank last year at my old high school was the seniors ordered a male stripper for the Principal (a woman)

Stripper came in and got all up on her during a pep rally in front of the whole school

Great prank.  Great letter.

Great prank right there. Kudos to those kids.

I honestly cant believe some parents were dumb enough to believe this shit (especially considering the signature LOL)..

Im pretty sure my dad would have thought that something like this was hilarious when I was in high school!

High school seniors with good imaginations and relatively unfettered access to the school after hours can have lots of fun.  I know we certainly did!

That was really a clever prank.

My boys pull something like this, they ain't catching any kind of shit from me

That prank was quite reprehensible and should not have been done, clearly.  They should be punished for such a thing.


That being said, as far as juvenile pranks go, it was a very clever and it appears well-thought out hoax.

(golf clap)