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Students, teacher taken to hospital after TikTok challenge goes awry at Providence school
The students and staff member were sent to the hospital “out of an abundance of caution,” the school’s principal wrote in a letter.
Two students and a staff member at a Providence middle school were taken to the hospital Monday over a dangerous TikTok trend, officials said.
The Governor Christopher DelSesto Middle School students and staff member were sent to the hospital “out of an abundance of caution” after they inhaled smoke caused by tampering with school laptops, Principal Ashley Ferranti wrote in a letter to the community.
Firefighters responded to the school “following reports of a laptop or tablet emitting smoke,” Samara Pinto, a Providence City Hall spokesperson, wrote in a statement.
The incident is believed to be a result of the TikTok “Chromebook Challenge,” which encourages students to insert conductive objects such as paperclips and pencils into the charging ports on their school-issued laptops, Ferranti wrote in the letter.
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There is an ongoing investigation into the incident, but no charges have been filed, according to Pinto.
The nationwide trend is a serious fire hazard, Massachusetts fire officials said in a statement last week. Inserting conductive objects can cause laptops to short circuit, increasing their temperature and causing smoke, sparks, or even a fire.
“Almost all modern laptops are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which can erupt in sparks and flames when damaged or abused,” Foxborough Fire Chief Michael Kelleher said in the statement. “An event like that will injure anyone close by. The fire can easily spread to clothing, bedding, upholstery, and furniture.”
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Though officials said most of the incidents haven’t resulted in injuries due to interference from teachers, the risk of someone getting hurt is still high.
“This is very concerning behavior and disruptive to the learning environment,” Ferranti wrote in the letter. “It is a threat to school safety and students caught doing this will face immediate disciplinary action.”
Another incident at Achievement First Iluminar Middle School in Cranston, R.I. occurred Friday and led to a police investigation, WPRI reported.
Cranston police were called to the charter school after a short-circuiting Chromebook malfunctioned and filled a classroom with smoke, Major Todd Patalano told the station. No one was injured, but the school was evacuated after the fire alarms went off.
Four 12-year-old students at the school are being questioned by detectives about the incident, and they may face arson charges if investigators find that they intentionally damaged the Chromebook, Patalano said.
Patalano did not return a request for comment Tuesday evening.
Ferranti asked parents in the school community to speak with their children about the dangers of the challenge to ensure student safety.
“Please know that student safety is our top priority,” Ferranti wrote. “Let’s stay proactive and united in keeping our school safe.”
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