The hate symbols that were drawn onto the stall doors are evidence of a larger trend of increased vandalism in the bathrooms. 

Sexual innuendos, explicit drawings, and inappropriate language have also been filling the bathroom stall doors of Wilson’s bathrooms. 

“We’ve been having vandalism in the bathrooms for the past two weeks or so. We’re trying to figure out who’s been drawing on the walls,” Interim Principal Gregory Bargeman said. These drawings are not the only damage that the bathrooms have sustained: many of the toilets are being stopped up and until being recently replaced, many mirrors, urinal dividers, and soap dispensers were missing.

“[This trend of vandalism] has been going on for a while this year,” Bargeman said. “There was this TikTok challenge going on. And then we found out about [it] and we noticed some vandalism in our bathrooms.” 

The TikTok challenge Bargeman referred to is called “devious licks.” The trend, which was popular earlier this fall, involves kids stealing items such as soap dispensers and mirrors from their schools.

 But Bargeman doesn’t directly attribute the rise in vandalism to this trend, nor any singular factor at all. However he noted that it’s among other behavioral issues taking place, including an increase in fights, that have arisen post-distance learning.

Junior Michael Cohen believes the poor state of the bathrooms encourages vandalism. “The bathroom[s] as a whole are just disgusting, which leads to vandalism. Because they’re not cared for, people just draw over them,” he said. •