Dear Parents,
It has come to the attention of several school districts, as well as to our ECA school community in regard to two concerning matters:
A Tik Tok viral video where a man is shown committing suicide. The video has been removed from Tik Tok, however, there are many other videos that are now talking about it or referencing it on other sites, including YouTube. Click HERE for a related news story.
A new challenge among school aged children referred to as the Benadryl Challenge. The challenge, posted on Tik Tok, encourages viewers to take large doses of the antihistamine to induce hallucinations. Experts say excessive doses of Benadryl can cause serious health issues, even causing death in some situtations.
Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Benadryl, has posted a warning about the challenge, and Tik Tok officials said they’ve been removing posts that publicize the challenge.
Click HERE for a related news story.
Tik Tok, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube and other social media outlets present many difficulties for parents, school leaders, and peer groups alike. There are several things we are doing as a school to address the problems our students are facing in society today and to support our students and families.
Chapels and Student Engagement Events with resources from www.Axis.org. Axis creates Christ-centered resources that are timeless from great thinkers like C.S. Lewis while keeping our pulse on very relevant shifts in culture or “Culture Translation”. Their materials are incredibly useful as we manage our pervasive pop culture.
Counseling with Chris LeMaster. Chris LeMaster will be on site once a week and available to talk to students, work with teachers and with small groups. The main purpose that Chris will serve is to connect students and families to community resources.
Open dialogue and discussion as needed in our classrooms, courts, fields, and locker rooms to make our students aware of the influence of the world around them.
We are using a software security application called Securly to protect Chromebooks both on and off campus. We encourage you to use the app to monitor your child’s activity. Securly filters inappropriate content, flags for alarming activity and tracks all device activity.
Even though we have taken these steps, nothing is perfect. We encourage you to review web history, installed applications, social media, email, etc. on the Chromebooks and on all of your student’s personal devices. Parental involvement and relevant conversations are key to responsible internet use.
Let’s all continue to lift up our families, students and our school in our prayers daily.
Dan Moore, Building Principal
John Essig, Superintendent
