Teachers - Devious Licks

[21C]

Have any of the teachers here experienced the stupidity of the TikTok Devious Licks challenge? I see some incidents on the Reddit r/Teachers group but I haven't experienced any myself since our area is still in lockdown - but returning to school in two weeks.

For anyone unaware of the challenges:
September: Vandalize school bathrooms
October: Smack a staff member
November: Kiss your friend’s girlfriend at school
December: “Deck the halls and show your b****” (show your private parts)
January: Jab a breast
February: Mess up school signs
March: Make a mess in the courtyard or cafeteria
April: “Grab some eggz” (another stealing challenge)
May: Ditch day
June: Flip off in the front office
July: Spray a neighbor’s fence

[JonInMiddleGA]

Not a teacher, but I did see where my exurban/rural system I grew up in issued a fairly strongly worded press release emphasizing that anyone involved in criminal acts (like assaulting a teacher) would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

[21C]

Yeah, the October "slap a teacher" thing has elicited responses in Reddit of "Should I press charges?" and "Should I strike back in defense?"

Personally I would report this is an offense. I'm seeing some reports of schools trying to sweep this under the rug and that would worry the crap out of me.

[miami_fan]

Our school district also released a strongly worded statement. It has been rumored that a teacher at the local high school had to visit with the principal after reminding his students that teachers are allowed to carry guns in Florida.

[tarcone]

We had vandalism last month. Ususal response.

Nothing has been said about the slap a teacher trend. I did talk to all of my classes about the trends and suggested they start a "do your homework" trend.

[larrymcg421]

Someone at my school tried to vandalize the bathroom last month.

[miami_fan]

Student arrested after allegedly attacking teacher in suspected Tik Tok trend

I really can't wait for my wife to leave the classroom at the end of the year.

[miked]

At my daughter's school, the principal had to come on the load speaker in the middle of class and threaten to put cameras in non-private areas of the bathroom and deal with legal consequences later.

[Drake]

My (middle school) daughter's home room teacher has adopted the policy that if any student in her class is caught participating in any of the Tik Tok challenges, everyone gets homework 3 days a week for the duration of the school year.

In essence, "Y'all are going to police yourselves and make good decisions, or none of you are going to have time to get up to hijinks for the rest of the year."

Her cheerleading coach (and the football coach, from what I understand) have set the flat policy that anyone caught doing any of the items on the list is just flat off the team, no questions asked, no appeals.

As a parent, I'd 100% give a free pass to any teacher who wallops a student back. (But I'm a middle school parent, and "real life actions have real life consequences" is a message we've been working on for months now. Because middle school kids are idiots.)

[Lathum]

My sons middle school also sent out a strongly worded advisory. I am all for expelling any kid involved in this nonsense, including my own. One of the reasons I don't allow Tik Toc.

[Coffee Warlord]

My district sent out a message about these as well - they flat out said they'd turn over any kid hitting a teacher to the police. The local middle school here wound up having to have escorts to/from the bathroom because of the bathroom vandalization.

I've said it before, I'll say it again - there is zero reason for a kid to have a cellphone during the school day. Store them when you get into class, take them when school is out.

[bob]

Have three kids in school and my wife is a teacher. What we've seen so far.

Elementary school - teachers are aware but there have been no issues.

Middle school - a few soap dispensers were stolen early on but things seemed to have calmed down after the email threatening expulsion for those caught.

High school - major damage, and my daughter saw water running down the hallway from the boys bathroom yesterday during class. I guess a sink was destroyed and water started to flood out of the bathroom and down the hall.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I've said it before, I'll say it again - there is zero reason for a kid to have a cellphone during the school day. Store them when you get into class, take them when school is out.

My kid has to keep his in his locker on silent all day. If a kids goes off they take it from the locker and after one warning they get sent home.

[cougarfreak]

I’m a HS Principal. Kid stole a bag of soap out of the dispenser. Called his father in, dad didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. Until the SRO decided to press charges and I suspended the kid. Kids have been pretty much policing it themselves since. I told them extracurriculars would start getting cancelled if it didn’t stop. Anyone touches a teacher of mine they’re going on front of the board for expulsion, after I press abuse of a teacher charges.


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[Lathum]

What is an SRO?

And the father likely thinks you are the asshole.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Drake

My (middle school) daughter's home room teacher has adopted the policy that if any student in her class is caught participating in any of the Tik Tok challenges, everyone gets homework 3 days a week for the duration of the school year.

In essence, "Y'all are going to police yourselves and make good decisions, or none of you are going to have time to get up to hijinks for the rest of the year."

Her cheerleading coach (and the football coach, from what I understand) have set the flat policy that anyone caught doing any of the items on the list is just flat off the team, no questions asked, no appeals.

As a parent, I'd 100% give a free pass to any teacher who wallops a student back. (But I'm a middle school parent, and "real life actions have real life consequences" is a message we've been working on for months now. Because middle school kids are idiots.)

I strongly disagree with several things here.

First, punishments for behavior should be unrelated to academics, especially for the whole class who didn't do it. Also, this would do nothing to stop many of the kids who commit these behaviors and don't do any homework anyways.

Finally, any adult who "wallops" a student is completely unfit to handle the job and should never be allowed around minors ever again.

Detention, suspension, expulsion, being kicked off of an extracurricular, etc. are all appropriate ways to handle this.

[bob]

Possibly dumb question - where does a kid that is expelled from public school go?

[molson]

My sister is a nurse at a bad kids school in Hartford. They've all been expelled from somewhere else. She has some stories.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Finally, any adult who "wallops" a student is completely unfit to handle the job and should never be allowed around minors ever again.
.

I am definitely not advocating teachers putting hands on students, but let's just say an 18 yr old senior smacks their 60 year old history teacher, and then others decide to join in. At what point can you defend yourself? Kids in high school are capable of inflicting some serious damage, so you just take the ass beating and let the legal system deal with them, even though you might be out of work for several weeks?

Just saying, in some cases it might be necessary.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

I am definitely not advocating teachers putting hands on students, but let's just say an 18 yr old senior smacks their 60 year old history teacher, and then others decide to join in. At what point can you defend yourself? Kids in high school are capable of inflicting some serious damage, so you just take the ass beating and let the legal system deal with them, even though you might be out of work for several weeks?

Just saying, in some cases it might be necessary.

Out of work for several weeks or out of work forever? Yeah, I'll take the former.

I never said not to defend yourself. In your extreme scenario, I'd first try to remove myself from the situation. If unable to do that, I would try to block, avoid, whatever I can to prevent harm.

If you want to find a situation where it would be okay to hit a minor, then by all means, get your creative juices flowing. However, it was pretty clear what this scenario was about, and if a teacher got smacked and then struck the student back, they are not fit to be a teacher or in any position of authority over children.

[cougarfreak]

SRO is school resource officer


If a student is expelled they’d get services through a different organization. And would be trespassed from all our districts campuses.


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[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Out of work for several weeks or out of work forever? Yeah, I'll take the former.

I never said not to defend yourself. In your extreme scenario, I'd first try to remove myself from the situation. If unable to do that, I would try to block, avoid, whatever I can to prevent harm.

If you want to find a situation where it would be okay to hit a minor, then by all means, get your creative juices flowing. However, it was pretty clear what this scenario was about, and if a teacher got smacked and then struck the student back, they are not fit to be a teacher or in any position of authority over children.

You read 18 in my example correct? That isn't a minor. My example is an extreme scenario, and barring being able to deescalate or extricate yourself, which should always be first options, there may be very extreme/rare circumstances where you have non choice and to think otherwise if ridiculous. At the very least you restrain the student, hopefully without inflicting harm.

So question for you, your kid smack a teacher, who doesn't retaliate and you are notified. How do you handle that?

[RainMaker]

So are these happening a lot or is it a media thing like those stories about pregnancy pacts and sex parties that were never taking place decades ago?

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

So are these happening a lot or is it a media thing like those stories about pregnancy pacts and sex parties that were never taking place decades ago?

My guess is somewhere in the middle.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

So are these happening a lot or is it a media thing like those stories about pregnancy pacts and sex parties that were never taking place decades ago?

The damage to the bathrooms was definitely a thing. I don't know how many have to happen to make it "a lot".

[Toddzilla]

My friend in rural maryland says a bathroom incident happened at his daughter's school, so the principal locked all the bathrooms and put Port-A-Pottys outside for the students to use.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

So are these happening a lot or is it a media thing like those stories about pregnancy pacts and sex parties that were never taking place decades ago?

I was coming here to ask that only using the examples of "LSD on stickers" and "syringes in Pepsi"

SI

[21C]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

So are these happening a lot or is it a media thing like those stories about pregnancy pacts and sex parties that were never taking place decades ago?

I don't know about media reports but the Reddit r/Teachers group has reports about incidents almost daily. The slapping stuff hasn't been reported as much as the stealing last month but it sounds like there have been assemblies held to address concerns.

[sterlingice]

Sure, but Reddit is going to be pulling from all over the country so it's going to look "bigger" than it is, I would think.

SI

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Sure, but Reddit is going to be pulling from all over the country so it's going to look "bigger" than it is, I would think.

SI

And that right there is the double edged sword of the internet. It's applicable to so many things.

[tarcone]

It shouldnt be anything at all. let alone "big".

Teaching is the most disrespected profession and the most important. Think about that.

[21C]

Where is the Like button here . . . ?

[Izulde]

Not that I'm aware of at my school, but we have a principal and a dean of students neither of whom put up with any bullshit.