High School Moves to Create Ethics Code

Following last week’s arrest of a group of teenagers accused of pulling a senior prank, Moorpark High School officials want to craft a new code of ethics for their students.

The school will form a committee of teachers, parents and students to hammer out the set of standards for student behavior. Earlier this week the school’s administration sent parents a note asking for volunteers.

“It’s time to have expectations of student behavior that are world-class,” Principal John McIntosh told Moorpark’s school board this week. “We need to focus on sportsmanship and good citizenship.”

The committee will meet several times during the summer to develop the standards before the start of the next school year.

The school already has a “graduation contract” spelling out some of the standards students must follow in order to participate in graduation ceremonies. The contract, for instance, bans physically harming other students or damaging school property.

That contract, however, did not stop a group of students from sneaking onto campus early the morning of June 3 and trying to build a large, cement-letter “D,” the initial of their informal social club. The students were arrested and given a five-day suspension and 20 hours each of community service.