Cruiser Families and Staff:
The "TikTok Challenge" originated as a post on the Tiktok social media platform that was designed to encourage youth to take destructive and disruptive actions against their schools and fellow classmates. The actions of students as a result of the challenge have resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in damage to schools across Ohio - and likely 50 times that across the country. It's also caused fights, student walkouts, and near-panic in some situations.
The monthly themes this year have included:
• September: Vandalize school bathrooms
• October: Smack a school staff member on the butt
• November: Kiss your friend’s girlfriend at school
• December: Make a threat or bring a gun to school
• January: Jab a girl’s breast
• February: Destroy school signs
• March: Make a mess in the courtyard or cafeteria
• April: “Grab some eggz” (grab a boy’s groin area)
• May: Ditch day
• June: Flip off in the front office
• July: Spray a neighbor’s fence
Groveport Madison Schools will not tolerate any acts of disruption or violence against our schools, staff, or students. We will take appropriate disciplinary action against anyone involved in these activities - and we will pursue criminal action to ensure those involved are held fully accountable for their actions.
The Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) urges students, parents, and community members to report concerns immediately to authorities or to the school tip line instead of sharing the viral posts. With any threat, reporting the information to proper authorities will ensure the information gets to someone who can investigate it. Sharing the post on social media does not guarantee it will be received by authorities and will likely increase anxiety.
At this time, the OSSC is unaware of any information indicating credible or a specific threat to schools in Ohio. However, we encourage vigilance and the reporting of any threats or suspicious activity to authorities for vetting and investigation. Out of an abundance of caution, we are sharing this information to raise awareness about these nonspecific potential threats.
As a reminder, students, parents, and community members can utilize the free Safer Ohio School Tip Line to anonymously report threats to schools or students’ safety. The tip line is available by calling 844-SaferOH (844-723-3764).