Students Impersonate Chesco Teachers With Fake TikTok Accounts

MALVERN, PA — Numerous students at Great Valley Middle School created fake TikTok profiles impersonating their teachers and posted racist, homophobic, and hateful content under their names, school officials said.

While students were disciplined, the district implied some of the content was protected under the first amendment, setting a chilling precedent for the role of social media in schools.

At least 20 teachers were victimized in the scheme. The accounts sometimes took real photos of teachers and put captions on them implying that they were pedophiles or that they were hooking up with other teachers, according to officials and the report. Other accounts reposted offensive images and memes.

The admission comes after a New York Times report uncovered the incident and brought national attention to what the outlet called the first incident of its kind.

Hundreds of seventh and eighth students followed the accounts.

The district says they're working on ways to strengthen their "already established focus on digital citizenship" within their curriculum, though they also suggested that some of the actions of the students fell under free speech.

"While it may be easy to react in a way that suggests that students should have been more heavily disciplined in school, some, but not all, of their behavior is protected by the right of free speech and expression," Superintendent Daniel F. Goffredo said in a statement.

Several students were suspended, but it does not appear it went further than that.

"After consulting with our legal counsel, and based on each unique posting, the district enacted whatever discipline it could, communicated with families, and implemented measures in an effort to prevent future behavior like this," Goffredo added.

The attack comes amidst a growing reckoning nationwide for TikTok and other social media platforms and impact on the behavior of children. Platforms have been used to organize threats of violence against local schools, as well as numerous "challenges" that inspire dangerous activity. Bills to ban TikTok have been discussed in Pennsylvania.

Great Valley, meanwhile, says they're hoping to rebuild their culture.

“It was so deflating,” longtime teacher Ms. Motz told the New York Times.“I can’t believe I still get up and do this every day.”

Parents were urged by the district to spend the summer educating their children on the dangers of social media.