Wake County Schools

Bathroom time limited after 'disturbing' TikTok trend leads to vandalism, pipe damage at Wakefield Middle

School officials at Wakefield Middle school are planning to limit students' bathroom time after a "disturbing" TikTok trend led students to vandalize bathrooms.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — School officials at Wakefield Middle School are planning to limit students' bathroom time after a "disturbing" TikTok trend led students to vandalize bathrooms.

Media outlets across the country report that schools are having to deal with bathroom vandalism, which school officials say most students are doing for social media clout.

Students are breaking toilets, pulling sinks off walls, removing soap dispensers from the walls and breaking water vents and pipes.

As a result of the vandalism, bathrooms will have to be closed between classes. Students will have to personally request when they can use the bathroom, according to Wakefield Middle School Principal Alison Cleveland. Cleveland sent a letter to parents explaining the problem.

Teachers will also create a schedule where entire classes will all go to the bathroom at the same time while staff supervises them.

"Because these breaks will likely disrupt and decrease instructional time, students may be assigned additional homework that evening in order to keep on pace with the curriculum," she said.

The challenge encourages the students to vandalize and steal from the school.

"It's not good for the school, it's not safe," said Candice Arrick, who has two children attending the school. "I'm really glad with how the school is handling it. I'm in full support of the school with their asking parents to talk to their kids about it."

Cleveland said she hopes the bathroom trend will "ease quickly." The bathroom restrictions will lift once "the students demonstrate that we can trust them to use the bathrooms appropriately," she said.

Multiple Tennessee students were charged for damaging public property and trashing the bathrooms on Monday, local media outlets report.

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