Dear District 21 families,
We want to make you aware of a dangerous trend circulating on social media that poses a serious safety risk to students and school property. This trend involves students inserting metallic objects, such as paper clips or pencil lead, into device ports or power sources in an attempt to short-circuit and damage school computers and chargers.
This behavior is extremely dangerous and harmful. Inserting metal objects into device ports or chargers can cause sparks that may lead to electrical shorts, damaged equipment, and even fires. These small sparks can quickly escalate and pose a serious risk both at school and at home. In other districts, this has already resulted in fire alarms being triggered and full school evacuations. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and we want to ensure that our schools remain safe learning environments for everyone.
Here’s how you can help prevent this behavior:
- Talk to your child about the dangers and consequences of tampering with school devices.
- Monitor their social media use and encourage responsible online behavior.
- Remind them that school technology is a learning tool, not a toy, and should be treated with care and respect.
If a student is found to have intentionally damaged a district-issued device or has attempted to copy this trend, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken, including but not limited to loss of technology privileges and financial responsibility for damages.
We appreciate your partnership in keeping all students safe and learning. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael Connolly
Superintendent
CCSD21
EMPOWERING EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY
