Parents of students at Lancaster Country Day School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, are suing the school district, the head of school, and the president of the board of trustees over the handling of AI-generated explicit photos of students. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of parents representing 46 victims, all of whom have been listed anonymously to protect the identity of the minors involved in the case.
The school was first informed of the explicit images involving its female student body last year. A student had used artificial intelligence to alter photos of over 50 female students, making them appear naked. The images were taken from the girls' existing social media profiles and were artificially altered to look realistic. The parents claim that the school did not adequately respond to the original "Safe 2 Say" tip given by a student in November of 2023, and only took action after a second complaint was made.
According to WHP-TV, the parents are outraged at the school board for not immediately reporting the incident to the police. One parent stated, "All they had to do was call the police and do the right thing. This is child pornography and it is the failure of mandatory reporters to protect innocent children."
The lawsuit comes after more than 200 students staged a walk-out last Friday to protest the school's handling of the situation. The parents are calling for the resignations of Matthew Micciche, the head of school, and Angela Ang-Alhadeff, the president of the board. They are also demanding that the school undertake attorney-run mandated reporter training for all board members, leaders, faculty, and staff, and employ a full-time certified resource officer trained in these matters to act as Director of Security.
The Susquehanna Regional Police Department is currently investigating the case, but no charges have been filed so far.