Chester County middle schoolers create more than 20 fake TikTok accounts impersonating their teachers

Great Valley School District in Chester County has announced that a group of its middle schoolers was responsible for creating and using more than 20 fake TikTok accounts to impersonate teachers earlier this year.

School district officials released a statement over the weekend, confirming that its middle school students created the 22 fake TikTok accounts to impersonate teachers.

Great Valley School District Superintendent Daniel Goffredo, called it “disheartening” to see the school community “in such a prominent place in the news.”

On Saturday, the New York Times referred to the incident as “the first known group TikTok attack of its kind by middle schoolers on their teachers in the United States.”

According to the Times, more than 20 educators were victims of the fake accounts, which contained pedophilia innuendo, racist, pornographic, and homophobic content.

Hundreds of students reportedly viewed and commented on the posts from the fraudulent accounts.

The Times reported that the accounts were discovered when a Spanish teacher found a photo of herself with her family, posted from a fake TikTok profile, that insinuated that she was a pedophile, paired with text that said: “Do you like to touch kids?” a text in Spanish over the family vacation photo asked. “Answer: Sí.”

According to the Times, the school district “briefly suspended several students” for their role in creating the accounts.

The superintendent said the district was legally limited in how it could discipline students as the accounts were created “during non-school hours on personal devices” and “some, but not all, of their behavior is protected by the right of free speech and expression,” according to the Inquirer.

“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.”

Superintendent Daniel Goffredo

Teachers weren’t the only staff members targeted, according to the Inquirer, a custodian was also impersonated by the fake accounts

According to the Times, one of the fake accounts posted a photo of two male teachers heads “pasted onto a man and woman partially naked in bed.”

Two students posted an “apology” video on TikTok last month, using a fake teacher account, referring to the accounts as jokes that were “blown out of proportion,” according to the Times.

The students said they planned to continue posting new videos, but would start posting them privately to hide them from teachers.

When a reporter from the Times asked the school district to notify parents about the article, the students deleted the video,” according to the Times.

“As we plan for the next school year, I implore you also to use the summer to have conversations with your children about the responsible use of technology, especially social media. What seemingly feels like a joke has deep and long-lasting impacts, not just for the targeted person but for the students themselves.”

Superintendent Daniel Goffredo

Read the full statement below:

Dear Great Valley Community,

You may be aware that Great Valley Middle School students were recently highlighted in The New York Times because of their social media behavior during the 2023-2024 school year. These students created fictitious TikTok profiles that impersonated our Great Valley Middle School staff members. The New York Times article chose to cover this incident because they stated it is the first incident like this of which they are aware. I reiterate my disappointment and sadness that our students’ behavior has caused such duress for our staff. Seeing GVSD in such a prominent place in the news for behavior like this is also disheartening.

I am writing to share that over the summer, district administrators are working to identify clear and actionable ways that our already established focus on digital citizenship might be strengthened in our curriculum. We are also planning how to reestablish a culture of trust and caring district-wide, but especially in our middle school where the behavior of our students has had a profound impact on our staff. 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. 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.

Your partnership is critical. As a school district, our greatest asset is our collaboration between home and school. As we plan for the next school year, I implore you also to use the summer to have conversations with your children about the responsible use of technology, especially social media. What seemingly feels like a joke has deep and long-lasting impacts, not just for the targeted person but for the students themselves. Our best defense is a collaborative one. I have always valued your partnership and will continue to do so as we move ahead.

Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer.

Sincerely,Daniel F. Goffredo, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

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