A group of Kentucky students have been barred from graduation after releasing thousands of crickets inside their high school over the weekend as a prank.
Administrators informed seven seniors this week that they would not be allowed to participate in Saturday's graduation ceremony after distributing up to 10,000 live crickets throughout the halls of East Carter High School in Grayson, Ky.
"Expenses will continue to rise as cleanup efforts are still underway," the school said in a statement. "It is the stance of the Carter County School District that these actions, while meant to be a prank of sorts, are unacceptable."
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The students and their parents must also pay several thousands of dollars to cover extermination fees, according to local Kentucky station WSAZ. The crickets were reportedly purchased online.
But many of the pranksters' fellow students feel the punishment is too harsh.
"We've been to school with them since we were in diapers," senior Alissa Lawson told WSAZ. "It's not fair to us to not have them there with us."
A local politician, who once served as class president at East Carter High School, is also getting involved.
"Graduation is one of those lifetime milestones," Kentucky state Sen. Robin Webb told WSAZ. "And these kids with no previous records of any sort, I think it's a little overreaching."
Some online commenters blasted the prank's lack of creativity.
"Whatever happened to cherry bombs down the commode, or a cup of chemicals making hydrogen sulfide gas behind the stage?" one person commented on The Daily Caller's story. "Today's students need to get their noses out of their phones, get some imagination."
Others were convinced the consequence fit the crime.
"What happened to consequences for your actions? What happened for punishment for crime?" another commenter posted. "Thousands of crickets is more than a prank. Crickets are destructive insects. They will eat any cloth or paper they come in contact with."
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