When pranks go too far...

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Most people enjoy a harmless prank every now and then, especially when no one involved has to endure negative consequences as a result of it. Having said that, what should happen when pranks go terribly wrong? A recent incident in the news involving 69 students (sixth graders) from the Scales Elementary School in Murfreesboro, TN who were on a week-long field trip to beautiful Fall Creek Falls (a state park in TN) makes one question how far is too far. The students were accompanied on this trip by the assistant principle and some of the teachers from the elemetary school. Accoding to most of the reports on the incident, students and teachers had been engaging in pranks with each other throughout the week. However, the prank in question involved a teacher wearing a hooded sweatshirt, pulling on a locked door and pretending to be a susicious person in a phony gun attack. Newspapers have reported that the children were informed this was not a drill and that they should act accodingly by following the directives of the accompanying faculty members. Reports from the children involved in the incident are consistent in stating that they were crawling under tables, crying, and begging for their lives. While initial reports indicated that the incident was indeed a prank, the school later called it a "learning experience". The incident has been said to have lasted five minutes. That's five minutes that these students were terrified and crying. What could be the results of this? What trauma might these children have experienced when these trusted individuals in their lives exposed them to something of this nature? Many have called for action that would lead to these individuals being fired for the incident. Students involved in end of the school year pranks have received stiff consequences. Should these faculty members receive anything less? Do you think they went too far? What would you want to be done to them if your child was involved in this incident? I know how I feel about it. They went too far and took a sitiuation that hits far too close to recent reality with all of the school shootings on the news and terrified these children. They should have to face the negative consquences of those actions. It makes one call into question their ability to care for children. What do you think?