Oskaloosa High School announced Friday that the scheduled homecoming football game will not be played and the accompanying dance has been postponed. The decision follows a series of student‑led pranks that quickly turned into vandalism, harassment and alleged theft.
District response
Activities Director Jamie Jacobs told KCCI that the school could not allow the stadium to remain open after “things crossed a line – and not just by a little bit, by a lot.” The district and local police are now investigating the incidents and have been interviewing students who were present.
What happened
As part of traditional homecoming celebrations, some students toilet‑papered faculty members’ homes. The prank escalated when reports emerged of students yelling racial slurs, frightening a faculty member’s family, damaging property and possibly committing burglary.
Junior Monica Hundley described the damage to her car: “My school supplies, my school computer was damaged. Everything in my center console, from pills, ibuprofen, perfume, lip gloss, you name it, was all over the car. My money was gone, and the back of my car, the windshield wiper, was completely ripped off.”
Impact on students
The cancellation is a disappointment for many students who spent weeks planning the festivities. Hundley, who helped organize the events, said, “We work our butts off just trying to get this prepared and get homecoming the greatest it can be. It really sucks to know that it was just ruined for them.”
More than 50 students have voluntarily come forward by Friday afternoon, and the district has given a deadline of noon on Monday for any additional students to report involvement. School officials said they will decide whether to reinstate the dance after the investigation concludes.
Community reaction
Students expressed a desire to see accountability. “I think most of the people at our high school are taking it seriously because we got our homecoming robbed from us, and we didn’t want that,” Hundley said. “But our actions have consequences.”
Local law enforcement and school administrators emphasized that the safety and well‑being of students, faculty and families remain the top priority. The district plans to communicate any further decisions to the community as soon as the investigation is complete.
Original reporting: KCCI Des Moines — read the source article.
