Recently, students at West Potomac have stolen soap dispensers as a part of a viral Tik Tok trend that has swept across the county. The new challenge, dubbed “The Devious Lick Challenge,” encourages students to steal certain items from their schools. 

Urban dictionary defines a “lick” as, “a successful type of theft which results in an acceptable, impressive and rewarding payday for the protagonist.” Early on in September, some of the most popular items to steal included bathroom soap dispensers, classroom wall clocks, and paper towel dispensers, and many students from other schools posted their vandalism on Tik Tok. Some of the items students from other schools have claimed to have stolen are: crossing guard signs, toilets, urinals, microscopes, fire alarms/extinguishers, bathroom doors, and sinks. 

“I think it’s kinda stupid,” Tamon Hendricks, a senior at West Potomac High School, says about the “Devious lick challenge.” 

Notably, students and teachers currently at West Po have started to notice the repercussions of this consequential trend. Just how far have students at West Po gone with this devious lick challenge? Soap dispensers all around the school, mostly in the boys bathrooms, have gone missing as well as toilet paper dispensers along with the toilet paper itself. 

“Especially during COVID times, kids need to be able to wash their hands in the bathrooms,” Mr. Ivan Johnson, vice principal, said.

Johnson expressed the concern he has for the school, because of the theft and vandalism, the school is having to replace an abundance of these dispensers, each one being priced in the hundreds including labor.

There are additional ramifications coming in the form of the new bathroom regulations, only 2 students can go to the bathroom at a time per class, and they must sign out and sign back in, causing annoyance among both students and teachers.

“I encourage students to come to the administration if they see something,” Mr. Johnson said.