BRAINTREE, Mass. (WHDH) — After issuing parking tickets to dozens of Braintree High School students, the Braintree Police Department decided to give students the chance to pay it forward and get their ticket voided.
Police issued parking tickets to 65 Braintree High School seniors on Friday for parking improperly. As part of a senior prank, the students parked across the spaces outside the school to apparently teach the juniors a “lesson” for parking on their turf.
“Thank you for raising $975 for the town,” said the police in a now-viral Facebook post.
After making the post Friday, police said it received more than 1.5 million views and more than 4,000 comments. In a follow-up Facebook post, the police said they decided to pay it forward with the parking tickets by helping victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.
Seniors who got parking tickets now have until Friday to show the school resource officer proof that they made an online donation of $15 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Fifteen dollars is the cost of the parking ticket. Those who show proof of the donation will have their parking tickets voided.
Police also asked juniors and seniors who did not get parking tickets to work together and make a donation on behalf of the student body.
“Believe it or not, it was never about the ‘revenue.’ It was a lesson in life. We hope the lesson was learned and feel the money is better off going to relief towards people who’ve lost everything in these hurricanes,” said the Facebook post.
Police offered an “internet fist bump” to those seniors who paid their parking tickets already and encouraged them to donate anyway because it will make them feel good.
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