Holt Public Schools has spent between $5,000 to $10,000 to replace hand sanitizer dispensers, soap dispensers, bathroom mirrors and other items in bathrooms because students took them as a part of a challenge on TikTok, the district superintendent said.
In the memo released to the public, Superintendent David Hornak asked for students to stop participating in the TikTok challenge and warned that there would be consequences for those who participate in the October version of a TikTok challenge to slap a teacher.
The TikTok challenge, known as Devious Licks on the popular social media app, encourages students to take part in monthly dares. In September, it was taking items out of bathrooms, which has led to a number of arrests of students nationwide.
In an interview, Hornak said the school district has not seen anything surrounding the TikTok challenge happen since the end of September, and no staff member has been assaulted by a student.
“I am hopeful that collectively our learning community has moved past the TikTok challenge,” Hornak said. “Now, we’ll find out in November whether that’s the case, but we have had no reported examples of any type of assault on school personnel, so I believe that bringing this to the forefront, partnering with our parents and guardians and having the conversation in our schools helped make a difference.”
Washington Woods Middle School sixth-grade teacher Rob Buckley, who also is president of the Holt Education Association, said he first heard about the TikTok challenge from other teachers who told him students would go to the bathroom and come back saying that there was no paper towel dispenser or soap dispenser.
Buckley said teachers have been disappointed in the thefts, and he said he is sad to hear of students stealing items from the school.
“I understand the role of social media for our students and then the peer pressure that comes along with that, at this particular age, but it’s basically just sad for us that these students feel like this is the kind of attention that they want,” Buckley said. “And as educators, we want to create the best learning environment for our students and when we have things like this, it’s just a disruption to the learning process in kids.”
Buckley said he feels supported by the administration should something happen to the staff at the school district.
“For the most part, I think that our staff feels that if students were to, you know, become physical or to carry out any of these challenges, I think that past practice has been that the district would be supportive,” Buckley said. “So I don’t hear a lot of my members overly concerned about not being supported by central administration.”
Rob D. Smith, whose son attends Holt Junior High School, said he has heard about the TikTok challenges but has not seen it happen or seen any stolen items. Smith is special education director at Leslie Public Schools.
“I’m aware of the challenges, just seeing them online,” he said. “You know the bathroom challenges, hitting the staff, things like that.”
Hornak said the school district will follow its normal guidelines to punish students who are caught either stealing items or assaulting a staff member
“We follow our board policy. We also follow our student code of conduct,” Hornak said. “And each situation is fairly unique, so it’s hard to say, ‘You know if you do this, then this,’ but we certainly in each case follow the policy.”