Is it okay to lie to teach a lesson? Is it necessary?
Fine line. Biblically, Rahab lied about the whereabouts of the Joshua and Caleb. In times of War we’ve lied, well at the very least “deceived” the enemy to our advantage. Those that hid Jews during the Holocaust lied. I don’t think there’s a clear cut line...and MADD members would tell you they are in a “war” of sorts.
Let’s consider the consequences if the lie actaully prevented one death and was considered overwhelmingly successful.
What will be the next program to orchestrate a conspiracy amongst first responders?
IMHO, what belies the program is a failure to respect the volition of one’s fellow man. Those who orchestrated this appeal to emotion as a substitute for recognizing the value of integrity in the volition of man. IMHO, it is far more important for the school to advance integrity in volition throughout life, than appealing to emotionalism.
This deception should not be allowed. Students are considered a vulnerable population by review boards. The high school may get sued over this stunt. If I were a parent of a student in the school, I would complain loudly.
In contrast, research review boards would never allow such deception in a research project. Any professor performing a stunt like this would be fired.