Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) sent a letter to all parents in order to address current “challenges” on the popular video app TikTok.
The apparent “challenges,” which schools officials have spoken out against, have led to theft and damages in schools across the country.
The latest trend for students, entitled, “slap a teacher,” encourages students to physically assault educators.
“Recently, we have become aware of a potential for this to possibly escalate into assaulting teachers and others to gain social media attention. We hope this never happens, but we want to be very clear that this would not be a laughing matter and that any student who participates in that activity, whether it be assaulting the teacher or conspiring by filming the incident, will face severe disciplinary action, ” Metro Schools said in the statement to parents.
While the school system states that they have not had “any incidents or have evidence of student involvement or planning in this type of behavior,” the letter explains that they are working with Metro Police to keep the schools and individuals safe.
“Keeping schools safe requires the support of all stakeholders, including MNPS staff, students, parents, and community members. We ask that all parents help us by instilling in their students the importance of respect for the teachers and staff who dedicate their lives to educating them, their fellow students, as well as respect for our school buildings so that we can all work and learn in a safe, clean, welcoming environment. This means discouraging participating in actions that vandalize school buildings or harm teachers or students, but also discouraging sharing of videos or social media posts that glorify this type of behavior,” the letter continued.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
