A group of middle school students in Pennsylvania created fake TikTok accounts impersonating teachers and posting inappropriate comments, authorities said Monday.
The New York Times reported that a group of eighth-graders in Chester County’s Great Valley School District (GVSD) created about 20 fake TikTok accounts impersonating teachers, filled with pedophilic and homophobic comments, racist memes, and rumors of sexual relationships between faculty and staff.
“Once again, I express my disappointment and sadness that the student’s behavior has caused significant stress for school staff. It is also disheartening to see GVSD so highly featured in the news for this type of behavior,” said Daniel Goffredo, the district’s superintendent.
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The illustration shows the TikTok app logo on August 22, 2022. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo)
One Spanish teacher at Great Valley Middle School told The Times that she found a profile with actual photos of her at a beach with her husband and young children.
“Do you like touching children?” read one message in Spanish accompanying a photo from a family vacation. “Answer: Sí,” the report said.
“It’s really disheartening,” Patrice Motz said. “I still can’t believe I get up every day and do this.”
Goffredo said the district has investigated, contacted local police and tracked down some of the accounts, but fake TikTok accounts may still be out there. Fox Philadelphia report.
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Some students at a Great Valley School District school created fake TikTok accounts impersonating teachers. (Fox Philadelphia)
“Unfortunately, we know the accounts were created throughout the summer, and it’s unfortunate,” he said.
The school district has taken action against some of the students suspected of involvement but did not disclose what those actions were.
“It may be easy to respond by suggesting that schools should discipline students more harshly, but some of their actions, but not all, are protected by the right to freedom of speech and expression,” Goffredo said.
The head of the local teachers’ union said his members want to train students on how to use social media responsibly.
Great Valley School District flag. (Fox Philadelphia)
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“It’s heartbreaking to us because we’re educating students and we never want to see someone make a choice that tarnishes their reputation,” said Vicki Salvatico with the Greater Valley Education Association.
