More than two dozen students in Gwinnett County have been disciplined for trying to start a fire with their district-issued laptops, a spokesperson for the school system said.
The latest TikTok trend, called the “Chromebook Challenge,” encourages students to put small objects like pencils or paper clips in the USB port on their laptops until they see smoke or fire. Students across the country are facing consequences for damaging school property.
But the 31 students who have tried this in the state’s largest school system account for a “tiny” portion of the district’s student population and “does not indicate a widespread issue,” the Gwinnett school district said in a statement.
“While any damage to school property is concerning and is taken seriously, it is essential to recognize that GCPS serves more than 182,000 students,” the statement said.
Gwinnett also said in the statement, “Intentional damage to Chromebooks is a violation of the GCPS Student Conduct Behavior Code and will not be tolerated.”
Credit: Cassidy Alexander
Credit: Cassidy Alexander
A few schools in Fulton County have experienced similar problems, a district spokesperson said. The district does not use Chromebooks, and there has been no evidence of the incidents being shared on social media. DeKalb County has not had any similar incidents, a district spokesperson said.
Officials in Atlanta Public Schools and the Cobb County School District did not respond to a request from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by publication time.
Gwinnett students who participate in the trend were subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension, and families were required to pay $200 in restitution to replace each damaged device.
If you search the term “Chromebook challenge” on the TikTok app, a safety message comes up: “Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing or even fabricated. Learn how to recognize challenges so you can protect your health and well-being.”
A middle schooler in Connecticut was hospitalized for smoke inhalation after attempting to start a fire in a laptop, but there have been no reports of injuries to Gwinnett students.
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