A video of teenagers licking toes for charity at a fundraising event for a high school located in Edmond, Oklahoma, USA, has gone viral and sparked significant controversy, with the internet accusing the school of predatory behavior. The questionable event raised thousands of dollars.
On February 29, Deer Creek High School hosted an assembly called Clash of Classes for students to pay to attend as part of the school's "Wonderful Week of Fundraising" activities.
Students in 9th through 12th grades volunteered to participate in different class competitions, according to the academic establishment’s district.
Deer Creek Schools district also reportedly said that the teenagers were paired up with corresponding grade levels for the competition, where students were seen in the video, now viral on social media, licking each other's toes.
Deer Creek High School in Oklahoma held a controversial fundraiser that involved students licking toes for charity
Image credits: Homes.com
Image credits: wsuares
The dubious event went on to raise $152,830.38 for an organization called Not Your Average Joe Coffee, which aims to inspire communities by including individuals with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities.
Nevertheless, the initial video shared by Fox 25 evening anchor Wendy Suares on X (formerly known as Twitter) instigated significant backlash, amassing 2.9 million views since it was shared last Friday (March 1).
“When I was in high school, we sold candy to raise money,” a person commented on the video.
The fundraiser raised $152,830.38, but a viral video of the event sparked backlash and widespread attention on social media
Image credits: wsuares
Another X user wrote: “These are the adults that have been entrusted to teach your children.
“Banning books is the least of your worries.
“The vetting process for hiring teachers or workers around children needs to be vastly more complex and strict.”
Many people first thought that the children shown in the video were kissing the feet of adults present at the event, a claim which has since been debunked by the school.
A separate individual chimed in: “This is disgusting.”
Image credits: wsuares
Following Suares’ viral X post, Deer Creek School District released a statement on Friday afternoon after the video was also sent to Fox 25.
In addition to highlighting the fact that students were licking other students' feet, the statement clarified that “No Deer Creek faculty or staff participated in any of the games during this Clash of Classes assembly.”
“Many dedicated students gave generously of their personal time to achieve this momentous accomplishment, which will serve communities beyond the boundaries of Deer Creek,” the statement noted.
You can read Fox 25 evening anchor Wendy Suares' X post featuring the video below:
Meanwhile, an anonymous student told Fox 25: "It was surprising, I didn't think they were going to do all that.
"I was just shocked. I didn't really have like a feeling.
"I was kind of disgusted, and then kind of glad I wasn't over there."
A parent, whose identity has not been revealed, told the broadcaster: "Whenever [their daughter] told me yesterday that was happening, I had to ask her, 'Wait, what? They're licking peanut butter off of toes. What?'"
They added: "I am all for fundraising and all for really fun and silly things, but that right there just seems a little excessive."
The stunned parent continued: "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."
State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who oversees the education system within the state, took to X Friday and said, in part, “We are cleaning up this filth in Oklahoma schools.”
The video continued to ignite backlash
