A new TikTok trend involving Chromebooks has local school districts sending out a warning to parents.
Oldham, Hardin and Bullitt County schools have sent letters home telling families about the trend that encourages students to damage their school-issued laptops by inserting metal objects into charging ports or tampering with internal components. The result is short-circuiting the Chromebooks.
The letter from Oldham County Schools said “This activity poses serious risks, including the potential for damaging fires, as has been reported in other parts of the country.”
Bullitt County Schools said “Let us be unequivocal: this behavior is extremely dangerous. It has already resulted in electrical injuries and fire hazards in other communities. At Bullitt County Public Schools, we will not tolerate any actions that compromise student safety or damage school property.”
The BCPS letter from Superintendent Jesse Bacon said students could face disciplinary action and asked parents to monitor their children and talk to them about the consequences.
“Please speak with your child about the importance of making safe, responsible decisions both online and offline,” Bacon wrote. “Help them understand that just because something circulates on social media does not make it safe, smart, or worth the risk.”
The district also said that students will be financially responsible for any intentional damage to school-issued devices.
