I always do admire a
good prank. I had a friend who was mad at his older brother. He did
not physically challenge his brother, as his older brother took too
much pleasure in beating him up. My friend did get even. He
secretly recorded his brother who thought he was alone and singing an
idiotic song about his girlfriend. My friend mislabeled the cassette
recording of his brother's song as music his brother liked to hear.
When the girlfriend came over, the older brother unknowingly put on
the cassette of his singing a silly song about his girlfriend.
Before it started playing, the older brother sat down by his
girlfriend, and the song started playing throughout the house and
even some speakers my friend had outside the house. It became part
of family legend. During college, a person I know place women's
underwear on the statue of an opposing teams cowboy statute who as
the university's mascot. It was pretty funny. Pranks are supposed
to be funny and not taken seriously. There are funny pranks that
happen and some people just don't see the humor. One guy couldn't go
to his graduation ceremony because he tried to sell his high school
on Craigslist. I think it's a bit funny, but I'm not a school
official. Hey, think of how funny it would be to try and sell one of
those school officials on Craigslist?
Below are excerpts from
the story with my valuable insights in italics.
On Friday, a judge heard
from attorneys from the ACLU and Independence schools to rule on an
emergency injunction request that would have allowed Scheele to walk
at graduation, Clark said. The judge ruled in the district’s favor.
As a joke, Scheele, 18,
listed Truman High for sale on Craigslist at the bargain basement
price of $12,725.
I can't imagine pulling
a high school prank and getting the ACLU involved and having to deal
with injunctions and all of it because someone can't recognize a
joke. What was the harm? Were they afraid someone would actually
purchase the school for the Craigslist asking price? Would things
have been different if he asked for a few million and got a few
responses? I could see telling him how that was completely
inappropriate behavior. I'm sure being forced to listen to the
monotone lecture by a school administrator would have been enough
punishment. In school, I once got such a lecture by a monotoned
school administrator, and I surrendered. I started looking for a
white flag. Keeping him from participating in graduation is a bit
extreme. It's not like he put one of the school administrator's cars
or house up for sale on Craigslist. I hate to say it, but I would
find that funny.
It was Scheele’s choice
of words that got him in trouble. His post also said, “The reason
for the sale is due to the loss of students coming up.” The “loss”
referred to the students who would be graduating.
But district officials
said that in a climate of frequent school shootings, they and some
parents perceived the post as a threat. It was a parent who told
Independence police he was looking at used baseball equipment when a
picture of Truman High School for sale popped up.
Who are these idiot
parents? Are they the same as the school official idiots? I say
idiot because there is no other way to describe individuals who
connect a high school being offered for sale on Craigslist with a
school shooting. That's like saying I feel threatened by people who
drive by my house because there have been drive-by shootings. I think
a little perspective here would have gone a long way. His choice of
words? Are these people familiar with the term irrational paranoia?
If I saw someone offered the high school for sale on Craigslist when
my child was a student there, I would have laughed. I hope I'm not
setting myself up for a monotone lecture punishment from a school
official at the next school board meeting.
“The advertisement
created a substantial and material disruption of the educational
environment, and the Independence School District stands by its
decision,” the district said in a statement. “The clear
substantial and material disruption served as the basis for the
suspension. We take student safety very seriously and appreciate the
students and parents who brought these incidents to our attention. “
I believe the
overreaction by the school district caused some disruption to the
educational environment. Going to court, getting injunctions, the
ACLU involved are not your standard school educational experiences.
Do these people actually believe if you play a prank by putting the
high school up for sale on Craigslist, it is a threat to student
safety? If I were a parent in that district I would be worried.
These school administrators don't seem to be able to tell the
difference between someone who has bad gas and poison gas. I could
see them call in the local Hazmat team on Taco Tuesday at the school
cafeteria.
On Thursday, the ACLU sent
a letter to Independence Superintendent Dale Herl urging the district
to reconsider its decision...the letter called the district’s
interpretation of Scheele’s senior prank “unreasonable.”
But Friday the district
declined to change its decision, despite the urging of Scheele’s
family.
The story has a bit of
a sad ending. Kylan Scheele didn't get to participate in his high
school graduation. He did get to be on the Pat Tomasulo's Man of the
People show. Unlike the other people who graduated at his high
school, Kylan got to wear his cap and gown and walk through a
cheering studio audience. He was then on television where people got
to hear his story. Kaylan Scheele won the hearts of many of us
pranksters but paid a big price. Now that he's no longer part of the
school, I wonder if he'll be tempted to put more fun stuff up for
sale on Craigslist. I found him an inspiration. If you see my
wife's high school picture albums on Craigslist, I know nothing about
it.
Below is a link to the
story.
Here is a video of Kylan
Scheele graduation on Pat Tomasulo's Man of the People Show.
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