Scrolling through your For You page; you see someone has stolen the soap dispenser from the East Wing hallway, is that why you couldn’t wash your hands yesterday? Your school bathroom has fallen victim to the latest Tik Tok trend. Someone has committed the ultimate devious lick. 

Tik Tok’s newest trend involves stealing and vandalizing schools and public places. The videos with the most likes showcase stolen soap dispensers, sinks, and even fire extinguishers. The trend has now found its way into MN.

According to building engineer Raul Perez, a total of 29 soap dispensers were stolen in a time span of three days. He has had to constantly replace and reattach each one. It can take up to 45 minutes to fix a dispenser, depending on the amount of damage.

The extra time and work the faculty have to put into fixing the dispensers could have been spent doing more productive tasks that are actually a part of their job. The effort they put into benefitting our school goes unnoticed and disregarded. Students are not only wasting faculty time, but their own as well.

Vandalizing the school is not only disrespectful to our building but also to the faculty who try to make it a better place.

“It just adds to his [Perez’s] job, it makes his job more difficult because of a challenge from Tik Tok,” Assistant Principal Mary Bayne said.

Of course, since stealing is an act of vandalism, consequences are being assigned accordingly. Vandals will be punished based on the Code of Conduct; the punishment for this act is typically a suspension.

Unfortunately, if people keep stealing, there will need to be new procedures. For example, according to Perez, administrators are considering putting only one soap dispenser in each bathroom, and if it is stolen, then students will be forced to use hand sanitizer. 

This means that the few students who choose to take part in the act could force the administration  to administer consequences upon the entire school.  Bayne believes that students should make their own choices that better benefit themselves and the school.

Tik Tok has banned the hashtag from their platform to discourage kids from stealing. This shows how much people and their views are impacted by social media.

In the future, students should learn to be less influenced by social media and think for themselves. Respecting property and people’s time is a trait students should carry with them throughout life, and it starts at Millard North. While it can be hard to go against a crowd, it is important to learn to do the right thing and practice integrity.

When something like this happens, students should think before they act and consider the possible consequences for themselves, their peers, and anybody who may have to clean up after them. By simply doing the right thing, lots of people’s lives can be made much easier. 

Stealing is wrong and immature, and, as high-schoolers, the student body should know better. Avoid consequences and leave the soap and sinks in the bathroom.

“Let’s take care of our school, take care of property. That’s our building and it’s something that we should take care of and be proud of,” Perez said.