SWOK Superintendents frown upon viral TikTok students are participating in

Published: Sep. 16, 2021 at 6:49 PM CDT
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LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - A TikTok trend called the “Devious Lick Challenge” has made its way to schools across Southwest Oklahoma.

It’s encouraging students to destroy and steal items from their school. TikTok is now banning those videos.

The trend is happening at middle and high schools across Lawton Public Schools.

Superintendent Kevin Hime said students are stealing and destroying soap, paper towel and hand sanitizer dispensers.

They are also pouring Kool-Aid powder in the toilet.

Hime said he’s seeing dispensers ripped from the wall, and it could cause major damage.

He said students should think twice before deciding to follow the trend.

“That’s just a lifetime bad decision because in a sense that can get you a criminal record. If you steal an object, you can get a larceny charge, vandalism, those are just crimes. It’s not that they are just breaking the school rules or just doing a prank, it’s a crime. Even if you’re 15-years old a crime is nothing you want on your record,” Hime said.

Students could also face suspension or other serious consequences.

In an effort to stop the vandalism, Hime said teachers are having to stand outside restrooms to keep the trend from continuing.

“In some places in the key spots where it was happening the officers could help us. Our teachers have been more observant and covering those restrooms between classes, and then reducing the number of students who get released from class, during class, where those situations could happen,” Hime said.

Chad Hance over at Cache Public School said he’s only had one report of Kool-Aid being poured in a urinal.

He wanted to address the trend before anything else happens.

“We hope that our parents are proactive and monitor their kid’s social media. It’s unfortunate that students have these platforms where they can do such things,” Hance said.

Hance said if things start to get destroyed in his district it will be treated as vandalism, and actions will be taken.

He hopes to work with parents to talk about the consequences and reminds kids to respect school property.

“We always talk about being leaders, and not followers, and sometimes kids get caught up in these kinds of trends. We just hope they think about what they are doing or what they are seeing, make their own decision, and trust in what the principals and parents have given them, and what’s been instilled in them, and make the right choice,” Hance said.

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