A proposed change to Fairfax County’s Student Rights and Responsibilities guide would outline specific consequences for students caught creating or sharing intimate images.
The update comes as part of the Northern Virginia school system’s annual review of the guide, which is a document for students and families. Through possible revisions, the county could create universal grade matrices for various behaviors, clarify what falls under hate speech and define what constitutes creating and sharing intimate images.
“There have always been students who draw pictures of teachers or other students, but it’s quite a different thing to go from hand drawn sketches or on a chalkboard, to suddenly lifelike representations of staff or students in compromising positions,” Fairfax County School Board member Mateo Dunne told WTOP.
“And the ready availability of these tools, the lack of controls on some of these tools is shocking.”
The addition would characterize intimate images as those that are real, digitally created or altered, according to school board documents. The school system is considering defining creation as students who produce, edit or digitally generate images.
The changes would apply to instances in which school computer equipment is used during or after school hours, Dunne said, adding “in terms of regulating conduct that’s outside of school hours, not on school equipment, those raise some legal issues that would have to be adjudicated whenever those incidents arise.”
Currently, he said, using artificial intelligence to produce intimate images is a type of misconduct that’s “largely unregulated.”
Dionna Shinn, a senior manager for equity and student conduct with the division, said under the proposal, discipline would require a Title IX review and authorization.
“Once formally clearing the Title IX process, students can receive up to a five-day suspension as appropriate, referral to the division superintendent and a required intervention lesson,” Shinn said during a school board work session Tuesday.
The school system has learned about instances of abuse and bullying as a result of fake images, Dunne said.
“It’s definitely something that we have to do, to both protect students and staff from potential embarrassment and other negative outcomes,” he said.
Separately, the county is proposing an update that leaders said will ensure students engaging in the same misconduct at different schools receive the same outcome.
The step, according to county documents, will standardize disciplinary measures by creating universal grade matrices. The district is proposing a phased rollout over the next three school years.
“These were an important way to address what we have talked about every single year that I’ve been here on this board, which is the discretion that is being applied across schools is inconsistent,” Board member Ricardy Anderson said at the work session.
Another change under consideration would clarify what constitutes as hate speech and slurs.
Dunne said the discussion is the result of a rise in the use of hate speech and slurs.
“We need to address that and make sure that we have clarity about when these incidents occur, how we address them and we differentiate between grade levels; where a second grader may hear a word on the internet and not understand its import, versus a senior in high school who will have a better understanding of what that word means in its historical context,” Dunne said.
The school board has to vote on the proposed changes to the Student Rights and Responsibilities guide before they can go into effect.
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