LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Campus bathrooms at several schools throughout the Las Vegas area are shut down after a TikTok challenge, known as “Devious Licks," forced the schools to change their restroom policies.
The challenge encourages students to steal and destroy property and then upload a video to TikTok.
Videos have shown students bragging about ripping items like soap and paper towel dispensers, mirrors and toilet paper holders off the bathroom walls and stealing them. As a result of this, schools have locked their bathrooms to avoid more damage.
The principal at Palo Verde High School says all four restrooms upstairs on its campus are locked during lunchtime because they don't have supervision. The six restrooms on the lower level have remained open.
The principal also says her school has been without soap dispensers for three days.
Meanwhile, Kristy Higgins' daughter in middle school says her school only has one hallway open for kids to use the restroom. As a result, she says her daughter has to miss class to go.
“She would miss an entire lunch period or an entire break period," said Higgins. "Or would be tardy to class."
"So instead, she has to wait to get to class and ask the teacher if she can get a pass to go to the bathroom, and then miss what is happening in class just to be able to use the restroom," she said.
Like Palo Verde, Higgins says her daughter’s middle school has been without soap dispensers for a couple of days.
“[We need to] support our staff and our teachers right now because this is their work environment that becomes a negative place," said Higgins.
"This is the place our children are supposed to come and learn, and it becomes not a safe place when they are destroying everywhere they look,” she added.
Higgins says this year is hard enough for teachers and students in the school district and there is no need to add unacceptable behavior on top of it.
“We are already short-staffed we don’t need someone to stand outside of the bathroom because our kids can’t do what is right,” Higgins said.
A Clark County School District spokesperson says, because of the social media challenge, schools have changed their bathroom policies. The district says the schools are providing an adequate number of restrooms to all students at this time.
