Wisconsin Rapids officials warn Lincoln High School seniors not to participate in water gun challenge

WISCONSIN RAPIDS − A challenge created on Instagram that encourages Lincoln High School seniors to grab a water gun and their cellphone camera and target their classmates received a swift response from school district leaders and law enforcement officials Thursday. While the challenge seems innocent enough, officials warned students and their parents that participating could lead to fines, legal consequences and school penalties.

The Instagram account, which was created just two days ago, urged students to join the challenge, receive their "targets" and share video proof that they had shot their assigned target with a water gun.

Wisconsin Rapids School District Superintendent Craig Broeren said there haven't been any issues with the challenge yet, but the district sent a letter to seniors and parents Thursday to get ahead of the message and warned students not to participate in the challenge.

The game could create undo concern at the school, Broeren said. The school isn't worried about water guns or Nerf guns, but it's more about unsuspecting people becoming targets of the game and the chaos that could potentially be caused, he said.

The letter sent to seniors and their parents said it was important to know that any use of gun-like objects on school property could not only lead to potential legal consequences but also to school disciplinary action. Strict policies are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, the letter said.

Seniors, many of whom are 17 or 18 years old, are considered adults in the eye of the law. Participating in the challenge could result in a citation for disorderly conduct, which carries a $313 fine.

The location of games like this also matters, said Wisconsin Rapids Police Chief Dan Hostens. The school doesn't want water sprayed in the hallways or games that could cause chaos being played in the halls, he said.

The game was just started a day or two ago, and officials wanted to get out ahead of it before it became a problem, Hostens said.

Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.