A 13-year-old middle school student in Louisiana was expelled after she struck a male classmate who had been circulating AI-generated nude photos of her around campus and on the school bus.
A Day of Harassment and a Breaking Point
The incident, which occurred in August, came after the teenage girl had allegedly endured an entire day of relentless harassment. According to reports from WWL, the taunting continued even as students boarded the bus to go home, which became her breaking point. Footage from the altercation shows the Sixth Ward Middle School student lashing out at the boy with an open hand.
Her legal representatives, Benjamin Comeaux and Matt Ory, argued that their client had tried to follow proper procedures. 'This child tried to do everything that children are taught to do,' Comeaux stated, highlighting that she had sought help from adults, school personnel, and law enforcement, but was ultimately failed by the system.
School's Response and Legal Fallout
Despite her attempts to report the bullying, the Lafourche Parish County School District expelled the girl in late August. Her lawyers contended that she was merely trying to 'knock the phone out of his hand' to stop the ongoing harassment. At a school board meeting on November 5, attorney Matt Ory made an emotional plea, stating, 'This is how kids become suicidal.'
He also accused the school board of mishandling the investigation, noting the ephemeral nature of the platform used, Snapchat, where messages and images can disappear. In a significant development, the girl's family has now moved to sue the school board for allegedly failing to protect their daughter. Following this, her expulsion was amended, allowing her to return to Sixth Ward Middle School on probation.
Criminal Charges and Legal Precedent
In a separate but related development, the Lafourche Parish sheriff's office announced that a male student from the same school has been charged with ten counts of unlawful dissemination of images created by artificial intelligence. Detectives had opened an investigation in August after reports surfaced of male students sharing fake nude photos of female classmates.
Louisiana law explicitly forbids disseminating any AI-generated video or still image that shows a person in a state of undress without their consent. Sheriff Craig Webre confirmed that the female student would not face any criminal charges for the physical altercation, citing 'the totality of the circumstances.' The case highlights the growing legal and ethical challenges posed by rapidly evolving technology in schools.
