Parents and Guardians,

As you know, the safety and well-being of students and staff are top priorities for Nevada Joint Union High School District (NJUHSD). We are alerting you to a trend on social media that challenges students to participate in various activities that are not productive nor safe. For example, last month, the trend involved encouraging teens to “lick,” steal, and/or vandalize school and personal property. These items have included the destruction and/or stealing of school bathroom soap dispensers, hand sanitizer dispensers, fire extinguishers, teacher / staff personal items, and more.

NJUHSD buildings are meant to be a safe, clean space for our students and staff and last month, we have seen disturbing incidents of destruction and theft of school property. Replacing these items is very costly and takes precious time away from other priorities. Beyond this, our custodial team works very hard to serve our student population and keep our campuses clean and safe; especially with the increased risks from COVID-19.

We recently learned that this challenge was posted along with others to occur in the coming months, and these challenges each month get progressively aggressive to the point of actions that are contrary to NJUHSD’s board policies on harassment. Specifically, the October Challenge is called “Slap a Teacher.” We want to continue to make families aware and be crystal clear that students who participate in the unwanted touching of a staff member will be appropriately disciplined, including consideration for expulsion from school, as well as potentially face criminal charges.

We ask you to partner with us in keeping our students and staff safe by communicating with your student the clear expectation of appropriate behavior in school and the severe consequences that may result in participating in such challenges. We also encourage monitoring of students’ social media activity, as these types of social media challenges tend to involve risky behaviors, of which students do not typically realize the serious consequences or the threat to the safety of our schools and community they pose until it’s too late.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students focused and on the right path. Please contact your school site administration should you have any questions regarding this important matter.

Sincerely,

Brett W McFadden
Superintendent