Schools: TikTok challenge must stop

Students vandalize school property



 

Area schools are dealing with the aftermath of a recent social media challenge that has encouraged students to commit acts of vandalism on school grounds and Twin Lakes High School is no exception.

A challenge was issued to users of the social media platform TikTok that encourages students to participate in and record their monthly challenges. In the month of October, it was to vandalize their school bathroom. In November, the challenge is to “smack a staff member.”

“We did see an increase in vandalism in our restrooms during the first two weeks of September,” Twin Lakes High School Principal Melissa Whitehead said. “We had soap dispensers pulled off walls, sink damage, a mirror taken off the wall and plugged toilets, which forced us to lock up some our restrooms.
“Once we locked some of the restrooms and increased checking them, the vandalism decreased prior to fall break.”

Tri-County Schools Superintendent Patrick Culp says students need to be respectful of school property and act appropriately.

“Fortunately, we did not experience vandalism in the bathrooms, but we did lock bathrooms in areas with little or no traffic,” he said. “For example, in our athletic areas, we locked the restrooms to prevent vandalism. In the past, those restrooms would be available to students.”

As November approaches, and a new challenge emerges, Culp says student should be aware that their actions will have consequences.

“If a student assaults a staff member, law enforcement would be notified immediately,” he said. “Having a School Resource Officer on staff full-time makes the notification process easier and more efficient. Along with notifying the SRO and/ or law enforcement, appropriate school actions would be taken.”

At North White School Middle/High School, vandals took to the school’s bathrooms to act on October’s challenge.

“We have had to deal with the TikTok crap over the past few weeks,” North White High School Principal Greg Briles said. “We have locked our bathrooms and limited the amount of accessibility to the 5-minute passing period unless an emergency is deemed.

“The vandalism has been limited to the male restrooms at North White Middle/High School.”

Briles said he has gone as far as to file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Agency and the Attorney General regarding the challenges.

“The promotion of such a thing in our schools is unacceptable and both platforms should be held responsible for its promotion,” he said.

Frontier School Corporation had not responded to the News and Review’s request by press time.

According to a list that’s circling on TikTok and Twitter, challenges have been created for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year. These include, kiss your girlfriend at school, jab a breast, showing your private parts, stealing, making a mess of the school cafeteria and spray a neighbor’s fence, among others.

“As we hear of potential challenges, we encourage parents to talk to your student if they use social media and share that they could face school discipline or criminal charges if they are engaging in some of these challenges,” Whitehead said. “Should a staff member be assaulted, charges may be filed and the student could face expulsion.

“We will have zero tolerance for a staff member being assaulted. We hope that our students will make good decisions and be role models and not get caught up in negative social media trends.”

Culp agreed.

“Ultimately, I hope our students continue to respect the school and the staff,” he said. “I believe with the positive relationships between our students and staff, vandalism or assaults would not happen at Tri-County.”

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