The parents of eight boys who streaked through Cloverdale’s Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary say their kids faced punishment exceeding their crime.
On June 14 during the lunch hour, the eight senior students dropped their clothes and ran through the school naked. Such shenanigans, according to some parents, have become a traditional graduation prank at the school.
Principal Allan Buggie, who has been at the school for two years, is not turning the other cheek, and suspended the students for three days and told them they were not allowed to show up to the cap-and-gown Grade 12 commencement ceremonies.
One of the streakers, Dwight Lilly,17, and his mother Debby are not happy with the punishment meted out by the school principal.
“He just said his mind is made up. It’s not changing, and that’s the way it’s going to be,” Lilly said. “He said there are no pranks at his school.”
She said the consequences represent a new level of punishment for the offense.
“My oldest son did it three years ago,” Lilly said, adding that he received a three-day suspension and “that was it.”
There is one boy who won a scholarship, but won’t have the honour of receiving it at commencement, Lilly added.
Surrey School District spokesperson Doug Strachan said there’s no specific district policy regarding graduation pranks, but there are rules of conduct for staff and students.
He said schools set out clear expectations about grad pranks, because Surrey, as in other districts, has had incidences where the pranks have been harmful.
“I can tell you, commencements have been the stakes at other schools where pranks have occurred,” Strachan said.
“Certainly having seniors streak through a school where there are also 13-year-old girls in hallways, I’m sure there would be students and parents at that grade level that would have concerns about that,” Strachan said.
Lilly said there are parents whose kids weren’t involved who will be passing on the commencement out of protest.
Lord Tweedsmuir Principal Buggie could not be reached for comment.
