A video of children licking each other's toes as part of a fundraising event went viral this weekend, sparking criticism on social media. The images caught the attention of several people, including Senator Ted Cruz who posted, "This is child abuse." State Superintendent Ryan Walters also promised to investigate the "disgusting" events:
This is disgusting. We are cleaning up this filth in Oklahoma schools. Our agency is investigating. https://t.co/XdWGFy3Hc2
— Superintendent Ryan Walters (@RyanWaltersSupt) March 2, 2024
The Deer Creek High School district in Edmond claimed that no staff were involved in organizing the event held last Thursday. The students, as detailed in a statement reported by Fox 25, had to pay and register in advance for the activities.
However, the Deer Creek School District announced in a post on its social media accounts on Friday that it raised a total of $152,830 and thanked the "many dedicated students and staff (who) gave generously of their personal time to achieve this momentous accomplishment."
"It's really great that they raised a lot of money. I feel like maybe they could've done a little bit more accountability and ownership in that statement for, 'Hey, you know, maybe we didn't fully think this thing through here,'" one stunned parent told Fox, the network that first aired the images.
"Whenever she told me yesterday that was happening, I had to ask her, 'Wait, what?'" the parents added. "I'm all for fundraising and all for really fun and silly things, but that right there just seems a little excessive."
