The prank is understood to be tradition, in which pupils play practical jokes on teachers during prom season
A teacher has died after a prank involving some of his students went horribly wrong.
A group of teenagers unspooled rolls of toilet paper outside the home of North Hall High School teacher Jason Hughes, 40. Jason tripped in the street and was hit by a pickup truck as the teens started to drive away.
Jason, who taught mathematics and helped coach golf, football and baseball, died after being taken to a hospital late on Friday, March 6, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. The high school is about 55 miles (88 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.
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The teenagers arrived in two vehicles outside his home close to midnight on Friday and began wrapping his trees with toilet paper. The sheriff’s office said in a news release that the teens started to leave when Jason came out of the house. The toilet paper prank is understood to be tradition, in which North Hall students play practical jokes on teachers during prom season.
As one of the teens began to drive away in a pickup truck, “Hughes tripped and fell into the road and was run over,” the sheriff’s office said. The teens stopped and tried to render aid until emergency responders arrived.
Jason’s family said he had heard in advance about their prank and hoped to surprise them. It is understood that he was not trying to confront them.
Authorities charged the driver, an 18-year-old, with first-degree vehicular homicide, a felony punishable by three to 15 years in prison under Georgia law. He was also charged with reckless driving, a misdemeanour.
The four other teens were charged with misdemeanour counts of criminal trespassing and littering on private property, the sheriff’s office said.
Jason’s family said he knew and loved the five students involved and have urged authorities to drop all charges against them.
“This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,” Jason’s family said in a statement provided to The Associated Press.
“This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”
Decisions on whether or how to prosecute the teens ultimately lie with Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh.
The Hall County school system posted a message urging students to refrain from any prom-season pranks resulting in property damage or destruction, just one day before Jason’s death. It warned of “serious consequences that can arise from engaging in destructive behavior.”
The school’s football coach, Sean Pender, said that Jason helped players with their academics. He also said Jason was a man of deep faith who led a weekly Bible study for other coaches.
“What made Jason so special was the way he did it,” Sean wrote in a social media post. “He never judged. He never forced anything on anyone. He simply loved people well. He met people where they were, lifted them up, and reminded them that they mattered.”
Students and teachers created a makeshift memorial of flowers along a section of fence outside the school.