Non-binary and single gender toilets in a Highland school have been trashed by pupils – as part of a social media craze.
Highland Council confirmed loos in the school were closed due to vandalism, while Inverness Royal Academy’s rector wrote to pupils and parents to bring the behaviour under control.
Damage has included broken toilet paper dispensers, door locks, toilet seats, soap dispensers, damaged ceiling tiles, flooded toilets and broken doors.
Rector Nigel Engstrand believes social media craze on Tik Tok may be behind the vandalism.
He said: “We have some suspicion that – in part – this spate of antisocial behaviour might have originated in a viral Tik Tok meme that was circulating in the United States last year.
“The challenge encouraged students to damage school equipment and post footage on TikTok.
“Videos of vandalism in school toilets were circulating and racking up millions of views before being banned by Tik Tok.
“Similar behaviour has been experienced in other secondary schools both locally and in other areas of Scotland.”
Toilets on floors one, two and three closed
Pupils, fed up traipsing up and down stairs to find a working toilet, contacted their councillor to attend at the school to help resolve the issue.
Councillor Duncan Macpherson, who represents pupils who live in his Inverness South ward, said: “I was notified by constituents, that toilets at the city’s largest population school have had to be closed off on the first, second and third floors and cordoned off because of repeated incidents of vandalism and antisocial behaviour by a small group of unruly pupils at the school.”
Mr Macpherson continued: “This is particularly disappointing to hear and to witnesses in person today, while visiting the school.
“I was at the Inverness Royal Academy following an invitation from the head boy and heard girl to see first-hand, the cramped conditions that student diners at the academy have to contend with each lunchtime.”
“It’s not big – and it’s not clever – to vandalise the school your parents and carers contribute towards.”
The councillor said he was disappointed that footing the bill would of course fall onto hard working council taxpayers.
He added: “I will be calling on police and community councils to send out a strong message to parents and youths, of the huge financial costs that their unlawful and irresponsible acts of vandalism have caused.”
Staff are monitoring toilet use
In his letter to parents, Mr Engstrand said that as a result of the repeated vandalisms toilets have been closed “except the most centralised locations” so staff can more closely monitor.
“Just in the last week we had nine toilet seats, six toilet roll holders and four soap dispensers broken,” he said.
“Such behaviour also pulls staff away from our core purpose of providing the best education we can for your children.
“By no means do I think it is anything but a very small minority of young people who are responsible for this, but it will be clear to you that toilets being out of action has an impact on all pupils.”
He said pupils involved in the vandalism, when caught, would be excluded from school.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “Some toilets at Inverness Royal Academy are currently closed pending repairs due to vandalism.
“Toilets are available to all pupils including non-designated and accessible toilets.”
Conversation