The accounts made by students used A.I. generated content using images of teachers to create videos of them dancing.
FERNDALE, Wash. — Ferndale School District leaders are urging families to monitor students’ social media use after officials identified a rise in TikTok accounts targeting staff. Administrators say the posts are affecting the school environment.
Superintendent Kristi Dominguez sent a message to families this week calling the trend “a serious matter” and asking parents to partner with schools on student online behavior.
“When we are made aware of accounts that are actively engaging in defamation, threats, or content that is violent or harassing in nature, we report those situations to law enforcement,” Dominguez said. “That is not a step we take lightly. But when online behavior crosses into harassment, credible threats, or unlawful activity, it moves beyond school discipline and into legal territory.”
The accounts made by students used A.I. generated content using images of teachers to create videos of them dancing. Other videos would place captions including insults like “Worst Science Teacher.”
PNW Daily independently confirmed TikTok has since banned the accounts for violating its terms of service. Videos that included threats were not independently confirmed before the accounts went offline and most of the content seemed mean-spirited, but mostly innocuous.
Many were on the account Ferndale Goon Squad. It is important to note that this term has new meaning for young adults. According to Urban dictionary: goon is a “well-known slang term in sexual subculture, used both as a verb and a noun.”
Limited authority off campus
District officials say students created the accounts off campus and outside school hours, which limits the district’s legal authority.
Administrators say they step in when online behavior disrupts school operations or targets members of the school community.
“We cannot control what students do at home,” Dominguez said. “At the same time, when online behavior substantially disrupts the learning environment or targets members of our school community, we have a responsibility to respond within the scope of the law and our policies.”
The district reports incidents involving threats, harassment, defamation, or violent content to law enforcement when they may violate the law.
Impact felt inside schools
District leaders say the posts often trigger conflict and anxiety when students return to campus the next day.
The superintendent said anonymous accounts that target individuals damage trust and distract from learning.
“While phones are not being used at school to create this content, the impact absolutely carries into our classrooms and hallways the next morning,” Dominguez said.
Call for family oversight
District officials urged parents to stay involved in their children’s online activity, warning that harmful posts can spread quickly.
The message also encouraged students to report concerning content to a trusted adult.
School leaders said families with questions should contact building principals or counselors.
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Well – as ridiculous as this sounds – that students would do this – we can say the same here as parroted by school admin, parents, and the community about waltzing out of school and protesting…..First amendment rights. And just like no consequences were given for the protests – because they said they had no “jurisdiction” over their behavior- I guess the same applies here. How sad.
I would truly hope that everyone would not want their child, family members, co-workers defamed, ridiculed, threatened by online bullying. Therefore, this is an issue that we can agree, is inappropriate and unacceptable. Talk to you children, classmates, students, friends and spread the same message that this is unacceptable behavior. We owe this to our wonderful community, students, staff, and parents. Let’s stand together for unity, tolerance and humanity.