Senior pranks can go many ways, but the 2024 seniors of Fairhope High School may have taken it too far. 

Gulf Coast Media received several phone calls Friday morning from parents calling in concerned their children may not walk at graduation due to a senior prank gone wrong. 

At 7:20 a.m., the parents of all FHS seniors received a recorded message from Principal John Cardwell. In the message, he asked parents to wake up and send their seniors to school because “what they did last night went beyond a prank and turned into vandalism.” 

Cardwell went on to say that he would be watching the surveillance footage and if “I see a kid who did it and he’s not up here cleaning, we’re going to talk about graduation.”

In the message, he did not disclose what the seniors did at the school, but he did say that in his 12 years as principal, he never had something happen at the school of this nature. 

Rumors have swirled around social media about expulsions, students not being allowed to walk at graduation and students who were exempt from finals being required to come to school next week and take the tests. The rumors so far have been dispelled by the district. 

Gulf Coast Media attempted to reach Cardwell but has not yet heard back, but Chasity Riddick, Baldwin County Board of Education’s communications coordinator, did get back to us. 

According to Riddick there have been senior pranks this week at high schools across the county including Fairhope. 

“This is something that happens every year and unfortunately sometimes the students can go too far,” Riddick said in an email. “I have not seen any pictures from Fairhope, and it would be up to the principal to decide what is 'too far' and if a student receives punishment. If a student is punished with school sanctions, we would not be allowed to talk about it.”

As of 1 p.m., Riddick said there have been no levels of discipline given and no changes to graduation or graduation events at Fairhope High School. 

This is a developing story, and we will continue to follow it and update with any new information.