PRANK GIVES US ALL CAUSE TO REFLECT

A teen-age prank turns to tragedy. Months later, parents of the victim wave goodbye to their son who has chosen to live with a relative in another part of the state rather than face further humiliation among his peers at Jackson High School. This is a terrible time for the boy, his father and mother and his brother.

The school board, months after the so-called prank that involved tying the victim to a cross, this week suspended one of the seven other boys involved in the incident. This action came after 500 people showed up Tuesday night at the Jackson Board of Education meeting. This is a terrible time for the school board, school administrators, district patrons and JHS students.

The parents of the boys who participated in the prank have had to deal with their own lives, both at home and in the community where they live and work. They have endured the righteous indignation of townspeople who have been outraged by details of the prank. This is a terrible time for those parents and their sons.

It hasn't been an easy time for this newspaper either. Reporters and editors have known about the incident since last May when Cape Girardeau County juvenile authorities issued a press release. But, because juveniles -- boys ages 15 and 16 -- were involved, few details could be obtained. The Southeast Missourian ran a four-inch story on Page 7A of its May 28 edition.

Details were sorely lacking from official sources. But that didn't stop the rumor mill. Over the summer, calls to the Missourian's Speak Out comment line referred to actions and consequences that were based mostly on speculation. As the school year began in August, there were more Speak Out calls demanding that participants in the prank be barred from extracurricular activities, including sports. None of those early Speak Out comments were published, because there was too little context in which to place the irate suggestions.

Then the victim's father, Stuart Venable, went to a school board meeting and read -- in closed session -- a statement that questioned the board's and the administration's handling of the incident. Mr. Venable mailed copies of the statement to the Missourian. At that point, it seemed, the Venable family had decided to involve the public. It appeared to us that it was time for more detailed information.

The Venables agreed to share what they knew about the incident. And they agreed to share their feelings too. But there were conditions. The Venables had no interest in adding to the public scorn by naming the youths involved, nor did they want their son's name used in any articles in the Missourian. We agreed.

As a result, staff writer Sam Blackwell wrote a series of masterful stories that laid out what happened and what had happened to the Venable family as a result of the prank. He sought to obtain the same information from others who were involved, but they were reluctant, for the most part, to talk on the record. Various officials -- juvenile authorities, prosecutors, school officials, law enforcement officers -- also were asked for information, but they were bound by laws and regulations that mandate confidentiality in such matters.

When Missourian readers saw the stories, they were shocked. They expressed their dismay in hundreds of calls to Speak Out and in letters to the editor. A sampling of those Speak Out calls was published Tuesday.

Now the process of going on with our lives is tantamount. Authorities are taking careful but deliberate steps. The boys involved have been punished. But a question remains for parents of teen-agers everywhere: Have you talked to your sons and daughters about this situation? And do you have some comprehension of how your still-maturing child would act in similar circumstances? Answers to these questions, it seems, are vital to going on with our lives.

It is never easy for a community to cope when something like this happens. It is particularly difficult in Jackson, which is widely known to be a fine place to live, work, raise children and enjoy the better aspects of life in America today. The ugly prank of last March has taught us all how fragile a way of life can be.