DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — As high school graduation season approaches, so does a rise in teens participating in a popular game known as “senior assassin.”

The Swatara Township Police Department is asking parents to speak with their kids about the risks associated with the game, where students try to “eliminate” each other by spraying each other with water guns or squirt bottles.

“The game is played outside of school hours and away from school property but has been reported to be causing disruptions and posing risks to participants and bystanders alike,” police wrote Tuesday in a news release.

READ MORE | What is the ‘Senior Assassin’ game?

The police department said there have been reports of students playing the game outside of local businesses and alarming the public.

There are online resources that advise students avoid private property and use brightly-colored water guns, police said, but not all students are following those rules.

Police said some students have used paintball guns, which can lead to injuries.

“We urge parents and guardians to speak with their children about the potential risks associated with participating in this game and to discourage them from taking part,” the Swatara Township Police Department wrote. “The safety of students and community members is our top priority, and we must work together to ensure a safe and respectful environment for everyone.”

Another Pennsylvania police department out of Bucks County, the Buckingham Township Police Department, said the game sometimes results in 911 calls reporting “armed subjects.”

“In case you are unfamiliar, Senior Assassin is a game that involves high school students ‘stalking’ and ‘shooting’ each other with water guns in an attempt to be the last senior standing,” Buckingham Township police wrote. “We have heard that some students are using Nerf guns or silly string. Think of this game as ‘hide and seek.’”

The Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department also spoke out about the game back in 2023, warning that students sometimes use water pistole that could easily be confused for real firearms.

“This behavior, though intentionally innocent, could easily be perceived, reported, or confronted as suspicious behavior by unknowing persons and outcomes could have serious consequences,” the police department had said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | ‘Senior Assassination’ game among high schoolers concerns police in Lancaster County

While the Buckingham Township Police Department said it does not condone the game, it offered the following safety tips for students who might decide to play anyway:

• Do not use realistic-looking weapons; use clearly identifiable, brightly colored water guns.
• Do not wear masks or behave in ways that would make a reasonable person to believe you are a threat.
• Avoid trespassing on private property or playing in public spaces, especially at night.
• Immediately comply with any police officer’s instructions and stop playing if instructed to do so.

Rhode Island officials are refusing to turn over private medical records for trans youth to the Trump administration.

The Ocean State’s Office of Child Advocate has filed an emergency motion in federal court to quash a demand from the Justice Department seeking medical information for minors treated for gender dysphoria.

“The medical records of these children contain private information that is protected under the law, which exists to safeguard confidentiality, privacy, and the dignity of every patient,” said Child Advocate Katelyn Medeiros in a statement reported by the Rhode Island Current.

“When those protections are disregarded — especially for children — it is not merely a violation of the law but a breach of trust that could have profound lifelong consequences.”

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In this case, the Justice Department is seeking to enforce a court order from a federal judge in Texas that requests records from Rhode Island Hospital. That order is part of an investigation into possible violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act involving puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

The federal agency said Rhode Island must release “the identities and complete medical histories of every minor patient who received medical care for gender dysphoria at RI Hospital over more than five years.”

Rhode Island officials said the release of information on patients there would not only violate medical privacy but could expose a marginalized population to humiliation at the hands of the government.

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“In other words, for a population of children that already lacks trust in the legal and medical systems, DOJ now seeks unfettered access to everything from their Social Security numbers and addresses to the intimate details about their state of mind, their sexual orientation and gender identity, and the course of treatment they chose with their physician and custodians,” attorneys wrote in a court filing.

The demand is part of a broader effort by the Justice Department under President Donald Trump to obtain private medical information on patients receiving gender-affirming care nationwide.

Under since-fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Justice Department had demanded private medical information on patients under the age of 19 through a series of broad subpoenas issued last year.

Courts in some states have blocked that pursuit. A federal judge in Maryland denied access in January to records from Children’s National Hospital. Similarly, a federal court in Pennsylvania stopped the administration from obtaining patient records from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in November.