Lancaster County teacher assaulted by student for viral TikTok dare, school says
A Lancaster County teacher was hurt last week by a student who was attempting to complete a new TikTok challenge that encourages students to slap school staff members and record it.
The district is giving a stern warning to students about this month’s new challenge called “Slap a Teacher,” which is connected to other “devious licks” dares that have left schools nationwide vandalized and damaged.
“Sadly, we actually had an elementary student assault a teacher by striking her in the back of the head,” the Lancaster County School District said Friday on its Facebook transportation page. “This type of behavior, just like theft and destruction of property, is not a prank. It’s criminal behavior.”
The district said any student who assaults a teacher could face expulsion.
“Any student who physically assaults a staff member will be held responsible both legally and by board policy,” the district said.
The district has had to punish students for other “devious licks” challenges, centered around vandalism and theft of school property, the district said on Facebook.
“We share this information with parents so you can educate your kids on the issue and monitor their social media habits,” the district said. “We also hope parents will speak with their kids about the serious repercussions of making poor decisions and peer pressure.”
Lancaster County’s neighboring district also has been impacted by the social media pranks. Last month, Chester County School District Superintendent Dr. Antwon Sutton said at a meeting that the district will need to spend thousands of dollars to repair damage to its school restrooms because of students trying the online challenges.
“If students are caught doing these kinds of things they will be disciplined to the full extent of district policy,” he said. “If law enforcement has to be involved, we will involve them because this is something that is unacceptable.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2021 at 4:07 PM.
