USD 373 Says 11 Newton High School Graduates Damaged Building

Eleven recently graduated students unlawfully gained access to Newton High School early Monday morning and caused intentional damage inside the building, USD 373 said. Carly Stavola, the district’s director of communications, said the case has been referred to local law enforcement.

Stavola said the incident appeared to be part of a senior prank, but the district said the conduct went beyond harmless misconduct. The school’s security camera system captured what happened, giving investigators a recorded account of the entry and the damage.

Carly Stavola Statement

“Unfortunately, the incident involved intentional damage to the interior of the building and went beyond what would be considered harmless misconduct,” Stavola said.

USD 373 said it would not release further details about the incident. That leaves the district’s statement, the video record and the law enforcement review as the main official pieces of the case, with the number of students involved and the early Monday timing already fixed by the district’s account.

Newton High School Review

The district’s decision to turn the matter over to local law enforcement means the response has moved beyond school discipline and into a separate investigation. For students and families at Newton High School, the immediate takeaway is that the district has already identified the scope of the incident, but it is not adding more information on its own.

The available facts point to a narrow set of confirmed details: 11 recently graduated students, entry early Monday morning, interior damage, and a referral for investigation. With USD 373 declining to elaborate, the law enforcement review becomes the next step that may determine how the case is handled.