A group of female students at a Demopolis middle school say they’re the victims of a child pornography scandal in a high-tech act of wrongdoing by their male classmates.
Yet, the school district may not be able to do anything about it.
Regular pictures of the children were uploaded into an Artificial Intelligence program, which male classmates utilized to create lewd photographs of them.
Mothers of some of the victims spoke to WBRC about the affect the situation is having on their daughters.
“They’re scared, they’re angry, they’re embarrassed. They really feel like why did this happen to them,” said Elizabeth Smith. “We have laws in place through the Safe School’s law and the Student Bullying Prevention Act, which says that cyberbullying will not be tolerated either on or off campus.”
Heidi Nettles, another mother, believes the girls’ coming forward shows courage.
“It takes a lot for these girls to come forward, and they did. They need to be supported for that. Not just from their parents, but from their school and their community,” she said.
ALSO: Alabama synagogues receive widespread bomb threats
Demopolis City Schools Superintendent Tony Willis said the school’s hands are largely tied on the issue.
“The school can only address things that happen at school events, school campus on school time. Outside of this, it becomes a parent and police matter,” Willis said in a statement.
“We sympathize with parents and never want wrongful actions to go without consequences – our hearts and prayers go out to all the families hurt by this. That is why we have assisted the police in every step of this process. We have sought legal counsel from both our local and state attorneys, and they have all agreed that events outside of our jurisdiction are matters for the local authorities.
“As an ongoing investigation, things can change, but it also prohibits us from commenting any further on such matters.”
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.