One Wisconsin school district took the rare step of sending an email to parents warning about a social media challenge that could cause "serious harm".

The letter was sent to parents of the Superior School District after a handful of students were involved in an incident that resulted in several of them getting citations from the Superior Police Department.

The problem is something called the "Orbeez Challenge", Orbeez are little beads that expand when introduced to water, and they can be used to shoot from specialized toy guns, the problem is, that kids are freezing the beads and turning the soft, squishy, relatively safe beads into hard BB-like projectiles, which could potentially cause some serious harm.

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Superior Police Department cop car in Superior, WI
Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth
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The school district and Superior Police warn that anyone participating in this or any similar challenges could be charged with harassment, battery, disorderly conduct, or even attempted assault if a person gets injured.

Superior High School sign - Superior School District in Superior, WI
Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth
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In addition to the injuries that could be caused by the use of the modified toy guns, police and district officials point out that some of these guns look like "real life" weapons, and it doesn't take a genius to imagine what could happen in a situation where these guns are displayed in a public area.

Superior Middle School - Superior School District in Superior, WI
Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth
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The Superior School District is asking parents to talk to kids about the potential consequences of participating in social challenges like this, and they are asking that parents contact the school if they fear their child has seen or has been involved in an incident.

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