After blowing up on popular social media platform TikTok, the viral hashtag, devious lick spread across the country. The trend involved dismounting and stealing soap dispensers, paper towel machines, and other bathroom facilities from the school. 

The trend or vandalism is blatantly disrespectful to the school facility, faculty and especially our custodians. Students at Bowie often complain about the quality of bowie property and school funds, but contradictorily steal essentials like soap from the bathrooms. This is regressing the budget and positive environment of the school. 

When we go to the bathroom and there’s no toilet paper dispenser in the stall, or no soap to wash hands, it’s pretty annoying. Especially after a letter was emailed home to parents encouraging them to remind their students that they should not be further participating in devious licks. The email entailed a threat of termination of the homecoming dance if the trend proceeds. Fun events and privileges could potentially be canceled all because students think it’s funny to vandalize the property.

While not a component of the trend, a fire was lit in the trashcan of the boys F hall bathroom last week. Even as a joke, this is potentially really dangerous to students and teachers. Although the students responsible have been suspended, their actions are already impacting the student body and possibly inspiring others. 

With the influence of social media, and people reposting the fire or the missing soap, we continue to think it’s just a funny trend and a way to defy strict school authorities and channel a common hatred for school and AISD. It has however gotten extremely out of hand and student privileges are being threatened. The announcement of the possibility of homecoming being canceled has, thankfully, influenced many students’ views on the trend and motivated more to stop supporting their friends hitting diabolical licks. 

Even teachers have begun to be affected by this student stunt. There are rumors of classes being monitored more strictly and even bathroom sign out sheets to prevent kids from vandalizing restrooms during class time, similar to contact tracing.  

The diabolical lick trend is overall progressively getting out of hand and the disobedience of the student body has become unmanageable without the threats of losing privileges we care about.