A juvenile was charged in an AI-generated image case in Radnor Township. Now, parents are demanding answers.
Parents in the Radnor Township School District pressed school leaders for answers and accountability Tuesday night, weeks after police charged a juvenile in a case involving AI-generated images of a non-consensual, sexual nature.
The case stems from allegations that at least one student used AI to create sexualized images of other students. After the incident was reported, the district informed families in a December email that police were investigating. In a follow-up email on Jan. 16, the district said "no evidence shared with law enforcement depicted anything inappropriate or any other related crime." But just days later, in a Facebook post on Jan. 23, Radnor Township Police announced criminal charges.
Parents said that the timeline doesn't make sense, and demanded accountability.
"This board has an obligation to ask hard questions — not just about outcomes — but about policy and procedure," parent Morgan Dorfman said during public comment. "Why an admission did not prompt a broader investigation? Why emails omitted criminal charges and minimized known facts?"
Parents told board members they felt the district downplayed the disturbing sexual when it was first reported, further harming the students involved.
"Why is the school refusing to support and protect children who reported sexual criminal activity?" said Adam Dorfman, another parent.
District policy committee members acknowledged the concerns and said parents would have an opportunity to continue raising questions about transparency at an upcoming school board meeting later this month.
The committee also began discussing potential changes to district policies related to bullying, harassment, and generative AI use. They discussed expanding definitions of bullying and harassment to explicitly address generative AI and digital misconduct, as current language may no longer be sufficient.
"It does read a little bit stale to me, just to rely on the word electronic," school board member Jannie Lau said. "It doesn't even contemplate digital or social media, so I think we should really consider an update."
Committee members noted that rapidly evolving technology presents a challenge for school policies that may struggle to keep pace.
"Probably a year or two or three from now, we're going to have examples of new technology that we can't even contemplate today," Lau said.
Parents also warned that without immediate education around AI-related sexual harassment, the harm could continue before formal policy changes take effect.
"We have to really teach respect and decency," parent Stefanie Gjvoren said.
Another parent, Carley Boyd, echoed that concern.
"There is a dark side to AI, and it needs to be addressed," Boyd said.
District leaders emphasized that any policy changes must go through a multi-step review process required by state law. They said proposed draft revisions would be brought back for discussion and consideration at a future meeting.
