A new trend, “devious licks,” has surfaced on the social media app TikTok. A “devious lick”  involves posting a video of a stolen item, often from school property.

This trend has swept the nation, leading the youth of America to steal everything in sight, specifically targeting public restrooms. Westside High School is one of many Omaha locations that has suffered from this rash string of theft and vandalism. 

 “It’s aggravating,” Westside High School principal Jay Opperman said. “The sink should work and I shouldn’t have to go in and worry about whether I can do that.”

Opperman said he is bothered by the behavior and its impact on  students who abide by the rules. 

“The one that really bothers me is that a small percentage of people are choosing a behavior that’s really having an impact on ninety five plus percent of people who are doing the right thing,” Opperman said. 

Westside High School Resource Officer Jeff Kilgore described the behavior as immature. 

“I get kids will be kids, but this is hurting,” Kilgore said. “There are people that have to fix whatever they fix. The maintenance guys have to fix it, taxpayers have to pay for it.”

Kilgore said Westside staff is working hard to put an end to the ongoing thefts. 

“We sent out an email to staff to check the restrooms whenever they can,” Kilgore said. “Not just to teachers but to the entire staff. The maintenance folks, the cafeteria folks, [we told them] to pop in when they can.”

Kilgore said Westside is reaching out to all sources for help stopping this behavior. 

“I know Mr. Opperman was going to send [something] out to the students,” Kilgore said. “ Brandi Peterson, [the district’s]  communications director, was going to send something out the parents, or maybe already did. We’re trying to hit it from all different angles.”

Opperman said he has had to close certain restrooms to prevent further damages.

“Part of that has been because we just keep having things keep happening,” Opperman said. “The other reason we’ve closed restrooms is because sometimes we just don’t want people in there until we can repair some of the things that need to be fixed,” Opperman said. 

Kilgore said the punishment for any student caught participating will be harsh.

“It’s vandalism, it’s criminal mischief, it’s the destruction of property,” Kilgore said. “If I can catch one of these kids, it’s criminal mischief, and it’s a charge [that] they can get arrested for.”

Kilgore said he wants students to start reporting these behaviors to administration.

“What I’d like to see is the culture of the upperclassmen and the other students in the school to kind of put an end to this,” Kilgore said, “If you see something, say something. We say that all the time.”

Both Opperman and Kilgore said they are frustrated with this behavior.

“It’s frustrating when social media wreaks havoc for really no good purpose,” Opperman said.