MPUSD warns students against participating in TikTok trend
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) MPUSD is warning students against participating in a TikTok trend called "Devious Licks", a trend where students steal items from school or damage school property.
The district says they've seen the impacts of the trend within their schools and learned the trend gets progressively aggressive each month.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Schools in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District are seeing the impact of a social media trend called 'devious
— mpusd_now (@mpusd_now) September 29, 2021
licks.'
Please join us in discouraging these acts at schools
across the district. pic.twitter.com/KjqQEFHSdj
"A lot of the students think that it’s funny or it’s just being mischievous but the reality is, it’s not funny, it’s not mischievous. It’s criminal behavior,” Dr. Daneen Guss, Monterey County Superintendent of Schools.
Dr. Guss says this has been an issue within the county issuing a communication to school leaders about the trend.
"When they are damaging or defacing school property, then obviously that’s going to take funds from the school’s budget," said Dr. Guss.
Dr. Guss says any students caught defacing school property will have to pay for it out of their own pocket.
North Salinas High School students say the challenge has been going on in their schools with students stealing fire extinguishers and pencil sharpeners.
"I think it's childish and like we have to stay here for eight whole hours like she said might as treat the campus right so we can be here and feel comfortable here," said one student from North Salinas High.
Residents in an Instagram response to KION say that the challenge has affected them personally.
"Not sure though, but thanks to the challenge, we need our school IDs to go to the bathroom," said one person.
Dr. Guss is encouraging students to do the right thing and for parents to monitor their children's social media activity.
