Latest news with #HaysConsolidatedIndependentSchoolDistrict
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
What is the 'Chromebook Challenge'? Texas school district warns of dangerous TikTok trend
A dangerous TikTok trend spreading to school districts around the country has made its way into Texas schools. School officials are warning students against the challenge that risks serious injury and damage to school property. Known as the "Chromebook Challenge" or the "Chromebook Durability Test," the trend involves children and teens inserting paper clips or other metal items into the USB port of their school-issued laptops. The act is meant to create sparks and smoke from the Chromebook and may even cause the device to catch on fire. The issue has prompted concern in schools in several states. A 15-year-old New Jersey student has even been charged with third-degree arson and criminal mischief, after his smoking Chromebook forced the entire high school to evacuate. School districts in New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and now Texas are alerting parents of the trend and urging them to warn their children against participating. Hays Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) sent a warning to parents, informing them of the social media challenge responsible for the destruction of school property. According to the Central Texas school district, a total of five Chromebooks had been ruined in under two days. The incidents spanned three schools throughout the district: a high school, a middle school and an elementary school. "Please help us by taking a minute today to mention to your children that if they see this social media challenge that they shouldn't participate," the district's spokesperson, Tim Savoy, said in an email. "Intentional damage to school district devices will lead to an expensive equipment replacement bill for the student, and possibly worse — having to explain to a judge what they were thinking." Students who jam school supplies into the USB ports of their school laptops are risking more than just a fire. Dr. Greg Sugalski, the Hackensack University Medical Center's acting chair of the emergency department, told Yahoo! that the melting plastic can release toxic chemicals into the air. These can irritate students' noses, eyes and lungs. Holding metal to electrical ports can also cause burns. "It can make the computer's lithium ion battery explode and cause a large fire, and there is a risk of smoke inhalation as this trend causes the computer to smoke, burning electrical equipment and plastic," Dr. Sugalski said. While each student can have unique motivations for participating in the "Chromebook Challenge" trend, many have speculated on several possibilities. The most obvious reason students may be hopping on the trend is for social media engagement. Videos of such incidents are flooding TikTok, despite the platform flagging the "#chromebookchallenge" tag and replacing search results with a safety warning. In the case of Connecticut schools forced to evacuate, students may be seeking to disrupt class or get out of doing work. Students may also be engaging in the challenge to get attention, whether from parents and teachers or from other students. They may also mistakenly see the trend as a "harmless" prank. — North Jersey's Kyle Morel contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'Chromebook Challenge': Texas schools warn of dangerous TikTok trend
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Hays CISD laptops damaged due to social media challenge
HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — School district officials across the country are warning students against a social media trend directing them to short-circuit their school-issued laptops. Officials said students record themselves short-circuiting their laptops or puncturing the lithium batteries, which causes the battery's temperature to rise uncontrollably. RELATED STORY: Students deliberately short-circuiting school laptops as part of social media trend The trend made its way to Central Texas and impacted the Hays Consolidated Independent School District. In an email sent to families on Thursday, Hays CISD said 'this is dangerous and damaging. There is a risk of fire, skin burns, and electrical shock – and of course the loss of a Chromebook.' Hays CISD Spokesperson Tim Savoy said a total of 12 laptops were damaged. 'Please help us by taking a minute today to mention to your children that if they see this social media challenge that they shouldn't participate. Intentional damage to school district devices will lead to an expensive equipment replacement bill for the student, and possibly worse – having to explain to a judge what they were thinking,' the email read. Savoy told KXAN those Chromebooks are a little more than $300 each. The student would be responsible to pay that back. 'That's $3,600 – $4,000 of taxpayer money that was put in jeopardy.' Tim Savoy, Hays CISD Spokesperson If the trend continues, Savoy said the consequence might escalate. 'Intentionally damaging public property can be considered a crime,' Savoy said. 'We certainly wouldn't want to have to refer it off to criminal activity.' KXAN is checking with other local school districts to see if they've experienced any issues with this as well. We'll update this story when we hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
