LINCOLN, Calif. — A trend on Tik Tok that's been circulating for months is still having an impact on bathrooms at Lincoln High School in Placer County.
Students and parents at the the school say all of the boy's restrooms are closed due to vandalism stemming from the "Devious Lick" trend on Tik Tok. They say all of the male students are using one single-stall bathroom in the library, and they aren't happy about it.
"It's unfortunate that society kind of dictates this kind of bad behavior," said Eli Rhodes, a parent of a Lincoln High student.
Soap dispensers have been destroyed, toilet paper has been scattered, and entire urinals have been stolen from school restrooms.
They're just some of the many acts that are part of the trend on Tik Tok. It's something that's been frustrating principals and students everywhere, but at Lincoln High School, it's forced administrators to close every one of the boy's restrooms except for the one in the library.
"It has one toilet and one urinal. No one wants to use the urinal because the stall has been ripped off, and yes, 1,000 male students for one toilet," said Quest Rhodes, a student at the school.
He said some people have to stand in line for 10 to 15 minutes just to use the bathroom.
Quest Rhodes, a junior at Lincoln High, said the school isn't doing enough to fix the problem and said that a few bad apples shouldn't force male students to pay the consequences. His father agrees.
"That's the biggest thing that I feel like is an injustice that they should be able to figure out ways to quickly repair things and move forward for the students' sake rather than close the bathrooms and curtail them into one bathroom," Eli Rhodes said.
Quest Rhodes said some male students are going into the girls' restrooms in a pinch and says he hears some students are peeing in the bushes. He's started a petition that's garnered over 200 signatures from fellow students urging the administration to find a solution and open the bathrooms.
"If you have a security guard standing outside or inside the bathroom, I'm not sure about the legality of that, people are gonna be a lot less likely to vandalize or do drugs within the bathrooms," he said.
In a statement, the Western Placer Unified School District (WPUSD) said restrooms across the district have incurred significant damages, which results in their closure until they can be repaired. They also said, despite these challenges, the district is taking extensive steps to ensure there is adequate facility use for students. That being said, some students still beg to differ.
A full statement from the district is available below.
The Western Placer Unified School District is no stranger to the TikTok trends that are resulting in vandalism around campus and in campus restrooms across the country. Since August 2021, middle school and high school students have been playing copy cat to these abusive trends, also known as ‘challenges’ they’re seeing on social media.
Particularly in the restrooms, the District has incurred significant damages, which ultimately results in their closure until they can be repaired. Due to the nature of the impairment and lack of resources to fix the damages, sites are forced to funnel students into bathrooms that can be property monitored.
Just like many districts in our area and throughout the state, WPUSD is also experiencing staffing shortages. As a result, positions like campus monitors are stretched thin. These complications only exacerbate the vandalism issues we are experiencing.
Despite these challenges, the District is taking extensive steps to not only ensure there is adequate facility use for students, but inform students that acts of vandalism on our campuses will not be tolerated. Vandalism is not only illegal, but it also inhibits other students' ability to participate in a normal school day. Aside from standard disciplinary measures and monitoring surveillance cameras, sites have taken unique approaches to help find solutions. Initiating anonymous tip lines with rewards for those resulting in discontinuing acts, as well as student-based work groups are proving successful in mitigating the issues. In an effort to ensure adequate facilities, on a daily basis, sites are announcing which restrooms are open and operable for that day. If lines are forming, staff will open other facilities, temporarily, to minimize any wait time.
We will continue to encourage any students or staff members to speak up if they are witness to any of this atrocious behavior. It is not tolerated on our campuses, and we are doing everything we can to ensure it does not continue.
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