The principal of a Roman Catholic high school on Long Island, New York, has canceled the spring prom.

Brother Kenneth Hoagland said in a 2,000-word letter to parents that the "flaunting of affluence" and the "exaggerated expenses" led to his decision.

Hoagland says the prom becomes more exaggerated, more expensive, and more emotionally traumatic each year. So he says the school's "withdrawing from the battle."

Hoagland's decision is in response to reports of prom-night debauchery, including cocktail parties followed by trips to the prom in a liquor-loaded limo and parents chartering boats for their children's late-night "booze cruise."