Superintendent Bans Students from TPing

St. Charles School District Superintendent Jeff Marion announced on Wednesday that students who are found to be TPing houses will be banned from participating in homecoming activities.

The announcement was made in response to an incident in which a 51-year-old man shot at a car driving by that he believed had students in it who tried to TP his house.

"Someone shot at a car he believed to have students in it," Marion wrote in a post on Facebook. "That terrifies me."
The incident happened on Edinburgh Drive in St. Charles on Sunday night. The homeowner, Daniel W. Beauchamp, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon.

Marion posted a note on the school district's Facebook page explaining his reasoning for the ban.

"This incident illustrates the dangers involved in the tradition of T.P.ing.  Though you, and many parents, may feel it is a harmless tradition and all in fun, it is trespassing, and more importantly,you cannot anticipate how homeowners will respond.  Just because you think it is a harmless prank doesn’t mean that the homeowner will agree. If you T.P. or otherwise vandalize someone’s home, you are breaking the law and putting yourself in danger.  Each year, our schools receive numerous calls from, upset community members and our administrators are forced to mediate f confrontations resulting from these 'so called' harmless activities.  It is disruptive to the school environment and community.  As a school district, we cannot condone such behavior."
Several people commented on the post that the TPing has historically been a fun tradition in which cheerleaders TPed the football players homes after receiving permission from parents.

Others said that TPing has changed over the years and now kids do more than throw toilet paper, often doing actual property damage with eggs.

St. Charles West's homecoming game is scheduled for Friday with the dance set for Saturday. St. Charles High School's homecoming will be Oct. 25.