A group of Smoky Mountain High School seniors could be facing criminal charges for what administrators see as taking a senior prank a step too far.

The Jackson County Schools Health Advisory Council has been conducting research into vape use among students and its findings have prompted the school board to sign a resolution in support of stricter tobacco laws in North Carolina.

Effective Monday, Feb. 21, masks will be optional in Jackson County Schools. The decision was made at an emergency board meeting Thursday night and comes on the heels of updated COVID guidance and new direction from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. 

As of Tuesday, Aug. 4, Jackson County schools entered phase two for school athletics. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association laid out phase two guidelines for summer conditioning and workout activities in late July. The guidelines for phase two went into effect Aug. 3. 

Jackson County Schools showed mostly level performance over last year with the release of statewide school performance data for 2017-18 this month.