Recently, Cooperative Middle School Principal Drew Bairstow warned our senators about a growing and disturbing trend with our kids. This new development has been dubbed the “Chromebook Challenge.” On May 8, Bairstow followed up with a letter to US DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg warning of a deadly trend. Students have been shoving dangerous weapons into their Chromebooks. This alarming trend has endangered the safety of many responders, which has led school officials and local fire authorities to take action.
The challenge references the Chromebook brand, which is commonly issued to students for educational purposes. Bairstow said the Exeter Region Cooperative School District recorded 15 occurrences in a matter of three days alone. The issue very quickly became a community firestorm concern. Take for example when students started doing dangerous stunts like placing metal objects inside their laptops’ charging and USB ports. They inflated their costs by sneaking in hazardous items such as lead from mechanical pencils, paperclips and push pins.
“This is not only a matter of property damage — these actions present a serious toxic smoke and fire hazard, both at school and at home,” said Drew Bairstow. Risks of such dangerous tampering with lithium-ion batteries are extremely high. These batteries can experience thermal runaway when damaged, leading to failures that could result in explosions, fires, or the release of toxic fumes.
Chase Hamilton, an investigator with Belleville’s arson investigation unit He was the key, confirming detail that. He shared that one encounter connected to the challenge occurred at Belleville High School. Despite the challenging conditions, no injuries occurred during the event. A Chromebook got heated up after someone had used it improperly. Hamilton expressed concern over the implications of such actions, stating, “We’re talking something that could seriously injure people.”
Hamilton expanded on the dangers posed by the abuse of lithium-ion batteries, particularly why they are so dangerous to vape users. “These batteries can be extremely unsafe when mistreated … someone very easily could get hurt,” he warned. While investigating the Belleville High School incident, as Hamilton rightfully points out, it was shocking what he noticed. He said the smell from the battery was extremely pungent. He described how the battery had swelled up and overheated after students attempted to manipulate it: “They gave it a try, and sure enough, it worked. The battery swelled up. It got hot.
In light of these dangerous incidents, the Exeter Region Cooperative School District has provided resources for students and parents regarding online challenges. The district wishes to raise awareness in order to stop students from engaging in this type of dangerous behavior in the future.
