What some consider a harmless, end-of the-school year pranks may seem funny at first but can often cause harm to the innocent, unsuspecting people they target.

Last Friday, four Ohio teenagers were arrested and charged with felony vandalism and disrupting public service after damaging 24 school buses as part of a senior prank. Police in Springfield, just west of Columbus, say the teens removed valve stems from tires on the buses, forcing authorities to cancel all classes in the 2,000-student district.The culprits were easy to find, since they left behind a message written in chalk that read: "You have been pranked by seniors 2015" and "To have school or to not have school?" Officials estimate it will cost taxpayers thousands of dollars to replace the tires.In a similar senior prank at the General McLane School District in Erie last week, four students turned themselves in after letting the air out of the tires of 32 district buses and stealing the air valve stems, prompting the district to issue a two-hour delay.Pranks can carry long-range consequences. Last fall, two players were removed from the Manheim Central football team in Lancaster County after a photograph on Snapchat, a video messaging app, showed one of them wearing the head of the school's Baron mascot while nude in the locker room. That person and the player who took the photo were both suspended from school for three days and the episode reportedly cost both players college scholarship opportunities.Last April 1, what was intended as an April Fools' prank by a student on her parents created a serious situation at State College Area High School. Just after school started, the student foolishly texted her mother that there was a shooter in a building.The mother then called 911 and the school resource officer was on the scene immediately. Within one minute, he was joined by seven additional officers.The district sent out an email to all district personnel and families alerting them about the incident and letting them know there was never a genuine threat. Police say the girl later admitted she sent the text message as a joke.During our youth, a simple prank like wrapping things in toilet paper would cause the intended victim some minor inconvenience but caused no real harm. Today, social media makes pranks more spontaneous, and they seem to be more dangerous and destructive.When it results in property damage or when innocent people get hurt, it's no longer funny or a bad joke. Then it's just plain stupid.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com