CALEDONIA – Caledonia will enact a stricter curfew for minors in order to avoid destructive pranks during Caledonia High School homecoming week in October.
The town of Caledonia announced the updated curfew Thursday, which will impact minors who are found outside after 10 p.m. without a responsible adult or guardian who is at least 21 years old Oct. 19-26. Normally, the curfew is midnight.
Mayor Betty Darnell said the change came because of a number of pranks during last year’s homecoming week that caused injuries and private property damage and went beyond the pranks the town normally sees around that time.
“We’re not talking about rolling yards. We expect that kind of thing,” Darnell said. “These were things that people could have been injured. And there was some destroyed property and other concerns in the community.”
The stricter curfew will expire at 7 a.m. on Oct. 26.
Violating the curfew will result in a misdemeanor charge, a $100 fine plus court costs, the announcement said.
“We just want the kids to stay safe,” Darnell said. “We don’t want something to happen to any of our kids or their families just by doing pranks, and … they’ve just gotten out of hand. It’s time to do something to stop it.”
Sam Allison, superintendent for Lowndes County School District, said homecoming is a special time for the district high schools.
“I am not aware of the specific reasons behind the curfew set in Caledonia, but we have a great relationship with the city leadership and will work with them in all we do,” Allison said in a statement sent to The Dispatch after press time on Thursday. “The students at Caledonia High School are an outstanding group – high performing in the classroom, respectful, well-mannered and motivated. I am proud of the way they represent their school and community.”
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