High school students suspended, custodian fired after Post-it note prank

CLAYTON, Ind. (WISH) - A senior prank is causing quite a stir at a Hendricks County high school.

Cascade High School students are speaking up after six of their peers were suspended and a custodian was fired after a senior prank.

UPDATE | 57 students suspended for protesting.

It all centered on Post-it notes.

24-Hour News 8 caught up with dozens of students at a Clayton park Tuesday, who showed up wearing Post-its proudly on their shirts and on their cars, all in support of their friends.

Anthony Canaday is one of the suspended high school seniors.

He thought back to the day the seniors decided what prank to pull. The decision? Post-its.

“We figured it's cheap, easy, creative, it doesn’t damage anything,” said Canaday.

Justine Weatherman was also suspended.

“I just kind of feel bad that it got this far. It wasn’t meant to be a big deal; it was supposed to be humorous … . I was just shocked, first of all, that they didn't think it was funny, and that we got suspended for it, and someone got fired … . I would never in a million years have thought it would have come to that,” said Weatherman.

They thought they'd covered their bases before putting the 11,000 Post-it notes all over school.

“We talked to the head of custodial staff, he knew we were going to be there; we spoke with a school board member, we had a key, we had all the permission we needed,” said Canaday.

Turns out they didn't. When they got to school, they were all suspended for the rest of the day, plus Wednesday and Thursday.

Kim Rouse was the custodian inside the school when it happened. Her son is one of the children suspended.

“It was brought to my attention that they had the OK to come into the building. I was under the assumption that once one of them had the fab key to get into the building … I assumed everyone had the OK. They had talked to numerous people and so forth, and I didn’t think I would get in trouble over it … or fired over it," said Rouse.

Rouse said officials had thought she let them into the building, but students said they had gotten a key from a school board member.

Rouse lost her job, and now along with dozens of students, she is asking questions.

Students organized sit-ins throughout the day at the high school in protest.

“They kept it clean; there was nothing wrong with what they did, other than coming in the building, which is what they are being punished for,” Rouse said.

School officials said the reason the kids were suspended is because they entered the school. They said other pranks over the years didn’t entail entering.

We tried to speak with the superintendent Tuesday evening; he told us he would speak with us Wednesday.

Kids said they’re planning peaceful protests all week long at school.

Graduation is set for next Friday.