Senior pranks are handled differently in Florida. Rather than move the principal’s car to somewhere like the roof, students allegedly recently took it upon themselves to gut and hang an enormous dead shark from the rafters at one Sunshine State high school.
On Thursday, the New York Post reported that a “gigantic dead shark was hung from the rafters outside Ponte Vedra High School in Jacksonville Thursday.” Ponte Vedra’s mascot is a shark, which is why school officials believe that the stunt was some sort of senior gag.
“This is typically the time of year that we see senior pranks taking place within our high schools,” the school district explained to the media.
“A group of five high school students at Ponte Vedra High School hung a gutted shark on the rafters of the school courtyard,” Alex AuBuchon, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, added.
Photos of the animal can be seen here:
Massive dead shark found hanging from rafters at Florida high school https://t.co/5fIrs3NdrR pic.twitter.com/5LS8ZbHroc
— New York Post (@nypost) May 5, 2022
The shark was dead before it was hung, but animal rights activists are still slamming the action as horrifying.
“To me, it’s disgusting for a shark to be hung up supposedly as a prank,” Adam Sugalski, an animal rights activist and executive director of One Protest, told CBS 47 in Jacksonville. “We don’t want to lose any more sharks than we have to. And just to see a shark being killed and hung up for a prank is saddening.”
Criminal charges are possible and the incident could meet the criteria for a Level 4 offense, based on the school handbook. Discipline could include any of the following:
- Mandatory out of school suspension of up to 10 days
- Parent Notification Required
- Referral for placement in the alternative school
- Referral to mental health services and/or receive mental health screening
- Referral to law enforcement
- Possible expulsion from the School District
- Loss of senior year privileges including graduation ceremony
- Evaluation of event by threat assessment team