The Waco ISD Police Department reached out to parents and students in regards to a viral TikTok challenge that is hitting schools across the country.
The “Devious Lick” challenge has students stealing school equipment such as projectors, towel dispensers, and soap dispensers. Waco ISD police said they are aware of this trend, and warned any students participating will face consequences in a message to students and parents.
"Parents, please encourage your student not to get involved in this destructive behavior," said Waco ISD police. "Students make no mistake, if you participate in this challenge and destroy any Waco ISD property you will be held accountable."
One Texas school affected by the challenge pleaded with parents on Monday to speak with their children regarding coming forward about those responsible, noting the damage to the school's bathrooms as extensive and time-consuming for custodians.
"Over the past few days we have had multiple bathrooms vandalized to the point that they had to be closed for cleanup and repairs," said J. Frank Dobie Jr. High in Guadalupe County. "It happened to us again today. In addition to the cost for damages, it is also taking our custodians a large amount of time to get the bathrooms cleaned up, repaired, and reopened for our students to use."
Consequences can include being arrested, facing charges of vandalism, or theft depending on the nature of the "lick".
@papacb How nefarious ##fypシ
"We must rise above this and set the example of how we take pride in our school district," said Waco ISD Police Chief David Williams. "If you want a challenge, I challenge each of you to do the right thing."
TikTok has reportedly now removed the hashtag and some videos surrounding the challenge as they violate community guidelines.
"Criminal activities cover a wide spectrum of acts punishable by law, including theft," said the platform's community guidelines. "To prevent such behavior from being normalized, imitated, or facilitated, we remove content that promotes or enables criminal activities."
