An email was sent from Mr. Berkowitz to families and students on September 16, 2022, regarding concerns about the senior scavenger hunt. This was in response to the social media posts he had seen which raised concerns about students breaking the code of conduct. It was noted that in past years students had participated in these illegal and dangerous activities at the event. Prior to this email, on September 15, 2022, a message was sent to the class of 2023, notifying them about the scavenger hunt and the possible dangers in it. The intent of the emails was to prevent any harm or trouble that students could get into.

For many years, the senior scavenger hunt has been an annual event in that seniors participate. It is a known tradition for students with other grades to participate as well. Although it was something that was talked about in school, it was not affiliated with the school. PMHS and its property are in no way affiliated with the event and have not even had any knowledge of it until this year.

When the email was sent, some seniors were worried that the event was canceled. While it did not plainly cancel the event, it was a warning about the behavior, telling them to be cautious if they wanted some of their other prized traditions to occur later in the year. The school has little control over whether the event happens or not, but students can be punished if they misbehave and break the code of conduct during the event.
For the school, safety and well-being are most important. The school leaders want every student to be healthy and believe that they are obligated to send a message if they receive messages about concerning behavior going on outside of school. The email reminded people that drinking under the age of 21 is illegal and that the health and safety of the students are most important, as they are future leaders. The message ended by advising everyone to “join with other communities who are working hard to promote alcohol-free and drug-free environments for our young people”.