TikTok theft challenge leads to restroom shutdown at Steele

AMHERST — First one soap dispenser disappeared. Then others went missing from the bathrooms at Marion L. Steele High School and vulgar graffiti started showing up on walls. Now six students have been suspended and face criminal charges after allegedly taking part in a viral challenge that circulated on the social media platform TikTok. Principal Joe Tellier said his building has been hit by the so-called "devious licks" trend. If you're not up on the Gen Z lingo, here's a primer: The website Urban Dictionary defines "licks" as the "successful type of theft which results in an acceptable, impressive and rewarding payday for the protagonist." Most of those paydays in Amherst have come from bathrooms, where students know there aren't any surveillance cameras, Tellier said. "I'm embarrassed to say I don't even know how many soap dispensers we've lost," he said. Containers for feminine hygiene products have also been stolen, Tellier said. He even caught a teenage boy trying to smuggle a circular seat from the cafeteria out of the building in his backpack. "Basically everybody we've caught we've charged," said Amherst police Officer Brian Bowers, who is assigned to patrol the schools. One adult student, Nicolas Ellis, 18, of Amherst, has been charged with petty theft. Five juveniles have been charged with theft and criminal mischief. Bowers said pursuing criminal charges is important for restitution, since thefts and graffiti have cost taxpayers money. "It has to be dealt with accordingly. It's not something that's just a minor issue," Amherst police Lt. Dan Makruski agreed. "It came up so fast and it has to be dealt with pretty fast," or kids will think there are no consequences. Students across the nation were posting videos bragging of their exploits using the #deviouslicks hashtag as late as Monday. TikTok removed it from search listings by Tuesday morning, saying the behaviors depicted violated the platform's community standards. But the damage had already been done, and many schools already had taken drastic steps. At Steele, many bathrooms were closed Monday, Tellier confirmed. He said they were taped off both so custodians could make repairs and to prevent further damage while administrators figured out how to get the problem under control. The lack of access set off anger among some Amherst Schools parents. Shannon Jones said her daughter, a freshman, texted her Monday afternoon "about to cry because she had to use the bathroom and they were all closed." Her daughter eventually found an open restroom, but Jones was still upset. "Now, I completely understand having to close the bathrooms for maintenance," she said. "However, why was this not communicated better to the students? … All she knew was every bathroom she passed by between classes and during her lunch period was closed." Tellier sent a letter to parents Tuesday explaining the situation: "I understand the inconvenience this may have caused students, but please know that at no point during the day were all our restrooms closed," it said. "Our main restroom, all single stall restrooms and all locker room restrooms were open all day." Contrary to rumor, students were allowed to use the facilities as needed and without being chaperoned, Tellier said. All bathrooms were open to students Tuesday, he said, crediting custodians who in some cases had to paint walls. But he was wary the TikTok trend would cause further issues, and asked parents for help. "Putting an end to this craze is going to take a concerted effort by all our stakeholders," Tellier wrote. Other Northeast Ohio school districts such as Rocky River and Brunswick have also been dealing with their own "devious licks" problems. Elyria Schools spokeswoman Amy Higgins said her district has had a few instances that were "addressed quickly." Vermilion Schools announced that it had suffered vandalism as well. "Please talk to your children about the consequences that could result from this behavior, including school discipline and the possibility of charges being filed with the Vermilion Police Department," the district posted on Facebook. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.