Apparently there is a trend among young people that is out of hand.

It’s been called worse than gangs. More potent than drugs. Meaner than a snake. At least one principal has had to resign over incidents regarding this new trend in hate.

What is it?

Well, according to a Newsweek story, it’s cheerleaders gone amuck.

It’s not just the bikini-clad pictures on MySpace.com that are compared to something off “Girls Gone Wild.”

According to the article, it’s much more sinister than that.

The authors focus on McKinney North High School in Texas where a group of cheerleaders were allowed to constantly challenge authority. One is quoted as telling a teacher, “Pull your panties out of a wad.”

The principal’s daughter, reported to be one of these “mean girls,” flipped off a teacher.

We all know high school can be a cruel place. Some students can make it a pure hell for others.

And this school in Texas is not the only place behavior such as this takes place.

Favored student status has always been of issue on high school campuses, referred to when I was in school as “the teacher’s pet.”

Mistreatment of fellow students has also, unfortunately, always been a rite of passage for teens. In many ways, middle school or junior high is worse than high school.

Lindsey Lohan, who starred in a movie called “Mean Girls,” gave some tips to surviving high school in an Associated Press story.

I wouldn’t normally quote a teen princess, but she gave some pretty good advice:

Stay happy by refusing to let others define you.

Consider whether you want to make a long-term enemy.

If you don’t have anything nice to say – be careful who hears you say it.

Don’t spread nasty gossip unless you’re ready to get the same in return.

Beware of leading phone calls – they may be a setup.

Don’t get grown-ups involved unless the fight gets out-of-hand.

Seek advice from those who’ve been there.

Don’t be afraid to wave a white flag: Remember, apologizing can be a show of strength:

Don’t be a pushover.

High schools, and even middle and elementary schools, are becoming dangerous places to be. Literally.

It’s enough to worry about your child’s safety, much less their mental and emotional welfare.

But, it’s important to know what’s going on at school, whether you think you should intervene or not.

These cheerleaders “gone wild” had the run of their school – at least for a while.

They no doubt made life miserable for many students, as well as some of the teachers. But the adults should have stepped in and taken control of the situation long before they did – parents and teachers alike.

If there’s no order on a high school campus, what can you expect from society at large?

Tammy Leytham is editor of The Selma Times-Journal.