Multiple Connecticut high schools evacuated over Chromebook TikTok trend

A new and concerning trend is gaining traction on TikTok, and it’s led to the evacuations of some schools across Connecticut.

Students are recording themselves sticking items like pencils and springs into the charging ports of their Chromebooks to set them on fire.

Newington High School was evacuated last week due to the trend, according to officials.

“On Thursday, I was alerted by both my director of security and high school principal that we had a Chromebook that was smoking,” Dr. Maureen Brummett, superintendent of Newington Public Schools, said.

“We were able to do an investigation with student interviews and other methods that we use, and it became clear that the damage was done intentionally. That it wasn’t a malfunctioning Chromebook, but rather a student had intentionally done things to it that caused it to smoke and eventually melt," she continued.

Brummett said she doesn’t know why students are participating in this trend, but that it’s destructive, expensive and dangerous.

“Chromebooks are expensive and they’re going up in price, so when a student does intentionally destroy a Chromebook, it’s their responsibility to replace it,” she said. “We have [an] insurance program but it’s not covering intentional damage.”

Smoke filled the classroom and firefighters rushed to the scene.

“The room at the time of the fire was filling with smoke,” Newington fire marshal DJ Zordon said. “We did see video from students … and that’s one of the biggest things. The batteries that are essentially catching on fire, once they burn, they’re producing this toxic smoke.”

“It’s more than just a trend," Zordon continued. "It causes a lot of disruption. The school has to be evacuated, firefighters respond to the fire house and subsequently to the scene, it takes resources from any other emergencies that might be happening at that time."

Similar incidents happened on Monday at both Derby High School and Cromwell High School.

“The hallways were filling with smoke,” Cromwell Fire Chief Jason Brade said. “We arrived out there, the school was already being evacuated, and we went in and ended up finding a laptop in a classroom, pretty much out, but on fire at one point.”

There’s some serious consequences to it, and you could seriously get hurt.

Jason Brade, Cromwell fire chief

“The back cover where the battery cover was melted away, and the battery was smoking,” Cromwell Fire Marshal Harold Holmes said. “The small ones like cell phones and laptops, it can cause an explosion. It could have potentially burned somebody. Shrapnel could have hit other people if it exploded.”

Investigations are now underway across the districts, and Brummett said those responsible will be held accountable.

“For a student that would do that deliberate destruction of school property, they will have a very serious consequence,” Brummett said. “Please take good care of your Chromebooks. They’re expensive. We do need you to have them at school in good working order. Plus, the type of damage that was recently seen was very dangerous and someone could have gotten hurt, and it was very disruptive to the school environment.”

No one was injured. Other districts like Rocky Hill and Bristol are warning families of the dangers of the trend.