Prank could cause Jacobs High seniors to miss graduation

A group of seniors from Jacobs High School are at risk of not graduating with the rest of their class after pulling a senior prank Thursday that involved setting up an improvised Slip ‘N Slide in a hallway, officials said.

An unknown number of students dumped baby oil, water, dishwashing soap and laundry soap over a tarp, and proceeded to slide on it for a few minutes while students chanted, according to a cellphone video shot at the school. The liquids spilled onto the hallway and a few students slid onto the floor itself.

“It was a makeshift Slip ‘N Slide that they put in the middle of the hallway,” said Kathleen Burley, a trustee in Community Unit District 300.

Nobody was injured in the prank, which took place during the transition between the sixth and seventh periods, said Allison Strupeck, a district spokeswoman.

The school was on a brief lockdown while the mess was cleaned up.

“Because of the significant risk of an injury, the school had no choice but to go on a shelter-in-place status, meaning that staff and students needed to stay in the classrooms while the slick conditions were cleaned and dried,” Strupeck said via email.

The Algonquin Police Department received a call for assistance at 12:25 p.m., Deputy Chief John Bucci said. Nobody was arrested and the police are not investigating, he added.

The school is reviewing video evidence and footage of the event. A decision has not been made whether any of the participants will walk with their class at graduation. They would still get their diplomas.

Senior pranks are allowed at Jacobs as long as they are safe and the administration knows about them beforehand, Strupeck said.

“Students met with administration earlier this spring to discuss a totally different senior prank,” Strupeck said. “They had only proposed a ‘senior snuggle' in which they would fill a hallway hugging each other. Yesterday's prank was a surprise to school staff and was done without their knowledge or consent.”