Fayette schools warn of expulsions, legal action over TikTok-driven theft and damage

“Nearly all” of Lexington’s middle and high schools are seeing instances — primarily in boy’s bathrooms — of students taking part in social media challenges that encourage damage or theft of school property, a Fayette district spokeswoman said.

The Paul Laurence Dunbar High School online newspaper reported this week that four of the six boys’ bathrooms have been closed “after more than a week of daily acts of destruction and theft.”

The national TikTok trend “is a prank called ‘Devious Licks,’ which encourages students to steal items like soap dispensers from their schools. The term ‘licks’ means thefts, and they are considered more devious the bigger they are,” the PLD Lamplighter said.

Dunbar Associate Principal Tony Blackman told the Lamplighter that kids are also stuffing T-shirts and doorstops in the toilets, clogging them, and flooding bathrooms.

Dunbar is currently short-staffed on custodians.

“Last week, they had to stay until midnight working overtime for three shifts in a row,” Blackman told the Lamplighter, adding that school employees don’t deserve that kind of treatment.

The Lamplighter reported that Dunbar Principal Betsy Rains announced Wednesday that students caught vandalizing property will be recommended for expulsion.

At Tates Creek Middle School, Principal Eric Thornsbury wrote families early Friday, saying that students record the vandalism and then post the videos on their TikTok accounts.

“We are seeing daily vandalism in our restrooms that is very alarming,” Thornsbury wrote. “Soap dispensers ripped off walls, soap in toilets and now throwing colored dye on the floors.’’

“We aren’t experiencing theft of school equipment just yet, but this is also a trend on Tik-Tok and occurring at other schools. This damage is illegal, and it costs the school time and money,” he said.

“Students proven guilty of such vandalism or theft will be punished fully,” Thornsbury said.

He said the school was increasing supervision of restrooms as well as monitoring the camera system more closely.

Lexington’s Lafayette High School’s online newspaper, The Lafayette Times, also reported on the problem.

“We’re trying to identify who the perpetrators are and understand that any student who vandalizes or steals school property is subject to consequences and could face restitution,” Principal Bryne Jacobs said, according to the newspaper.

Jacobs told the Lafayette Times that one dispenser cost around $100 to replace.

“[Stealing] is not only a violation of school rules, but it’s illegal, so students who do these things can be subject to criminal violations as well,” he said.

In response to the issue, Henry Clay High School Principal Paul Little sent families an email that said, “students proven guilty of such vandalism will be prosecuted and punished fully.”

Leaders in each school have addressed incidents by increasing supervision near bathrooms, closing restrooms in need of repair, making intercom announcements to students, communicating with families, limiting the number of students who can be in the restroom at once, and escorting students to the bathroom during instructional time, district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said in a statement.

“Those engaging in this negative behavior face administrative consequences up to and including expulsion, as well as legal consequences depending on the severity of the damage,” Deffendall said.

Students and families could also be required to make financial restitution to cover the cost of needed repairs.

“This is certainly not reflective of the incredible students who attend FCPS or the supportive families we serve,” Deffendall said.

Camp Ernst Middle School officials in Kentucky’s Boone County School District told parents in a letter this week that “we have noticed an uptick in TikTok trends such as challenges that encourage kids to destroy the soap dispenser in the bathroom and kids making animal noises toward each other, specifically barking.”

The TikTok Communications Team said this week in a Twitter post that “we expect our community to create responsibly.”

“We’re removing content and redirecting hashtags & search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior. Please be kind to your schools & teachers,” the post said.