AI Nude Photo Scandal Forces Shut Down of Private School

A scandal, which saw a teenage boy create 50 AI nude photos of his female classmates, has forced the closure of a private school.

On Monday, parents forced the cancellation of classes at Lancaster Country Day School, a fee-paying school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The shutdown came amid legal pressure from parents frustrated by the school’s handling of allegations that a student used AI technology to generate nude images of 50 of his female classmates.

In November 2023, Matt Micciche, the then-head of the school, received a complaint anonymously about the deepfakes from a student through a school portal.

The student reported that a single male student had been taking photographs of female classmates and using AI to portray the female juvenile students as being nude.

The parents have alleged that Micciche failed to act on the anonymous complaint around the “disturbing AI-generated photographs,” which allowed more students to be targeted for several more months.

It wasn’t until mid-2024 that police were informed and a 15-year-old male student was arrested. His iPhone 11 was seized as part of the police investigation to trace the origins of the images.

However, parents have demanded accountability, accusing the school of neglecting its mandatory duty to report suspected child abuse. In a court summons, they threatened legal action unless the school’s leadership resigned within 48 hours.

According to local news outlet Lancaster Online, Micciche and school board president Angela Ang-Alhadeff ultimately stepped down late Friday. But parents criticized the delay.

In a statement announcing that classes were canceled on Monday, Lancaster Country Day School — which reportedly serves about 600 students in pre-kindergarten through high school — offered support during this “difficult time” for the community.

According to AP News, a new Pennsylvania state law that takes effect late next month explicitly criminalizes making or disseminating AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

The scandals came following several incidents of high-school students using widely-available AI apps to make deepfake nude photographs of their classmates — including in schools in Alaska, New Jersey, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

Earlier this year, two teen boys from Miami, Florida were arrested for allegedly making deepfake nude images of their classmates — in what is believed to be the first-ever U.S. instance of criminal charges in relation to AI-generated nudes.

 
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.