Making You Aware of an Unsafe TikToc Challenge
As we head into the three-day weekend, we want to encourage you to talk with your children about a concerning new social media trend and its potential consequences. There is a TikTok trend rising in popularity among teenagers known as the #OrbeezChallenge. This challenge consists of shooting water or gel-filled pellets at individuals using a toy gun, which can result in physical injuries. Additionally, the trend has the potential to spark fear or panic, as a toy weapon could be mistaken for a firearm.
It's important for all our students and families to understand that:
Threatening anyone with a weapon, including toy guns such as the ones being used in the challenge, is extremely dangerous for all involved. While we have not had any instances of this challenge on our Hamilton Middle campus, please know that the behaviors described in the challenge violate the district's Behavior Education Plan (BEP), and include consequences up to and including a mandatory 5-day out-of-school suspension and a recommendation for expulsion if such behaviors were to occur at school.
Please use this as an opportunity to talk with your child about the serious nature of the behavior described in the challenge as well as your expectations for their actions and their personal safety. If your child is aware of others engaging in this behavior, please report this to school administration or through the Speak Up, Speak Out reporting tool (https://speakup.widoj.gov/), so we can work to help prevent the possibility of anyone getting hurt.
As always, thank you for your continued support as we work to make Hamilton Middle a safe and productive learning environment for all our students and staff members!
