In December 2025, a number of female students at Radnor High School had images they posted on social media allegedly copied by a fellow student and then digitally altered into a pornographic state. 

Radnor High School’s Artificial Intelligence Position Statement extensively covers the use of AI in the classroom, but has no guidelines or repercussions in place for this alarming new phase of usage. 

This incident at Radnor High School follows closely on the heels of a similar situation in Louisiana. In the fall of 2025, a female student was expelled from her middle school for hitting a male classmate on a school bus, who, she claims, created and shared an AI-fabricated nude image of her. Authorities have conducted investigations and found the images, along with fabricated images of seven other middle school students and two adults. The male student in question has been charged with ten counts of unlawful dissemination of images created by artificial intelligence. 

With the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence, both in use and capabilities, one outcome is the newfound ability to take an authentic, photographed image and load it into an AI platform, thereby altering the original photograph into anything the user can envision. This spectrum can range from the humorous and harmless, to damaging and denigrating. 

At Malvern Prep, the technology team works tirelessly to protect against occurrences like this. Director of Technology, John Street, spoke about how these criminal cases involving AI were possible

“AI technology is becoming more and more enhanced. Recently, Grok [the company: xAI’s Artificial Intelligence Platform] released a version of their image manipulator. Within a matter of hours, people were asking Grok to manipulate posted images of people without their permission. After blowback, X [the AI platform’s parent company] pulled back on the Grok image manipulator,” Street said.

As these machines become more and more adept at creating and manipulating content, the need for regulation and protection grows as well. Street spoke about how he and his team work towards protection daily. 

“From a technology standpoint, these AI sites that allow you to edit or exploit images are obviously filtered or blocked. Blocking and protecting the students from these sites is the priority. The blocking filter uses the power of AI to categorize sites, and hence, AI is not a perfect science,” Street said.

Schools, businesses, and potentially governments have progress to make in combating this rising phenomenon. Radnor School District Artificial Intelligence Policy outlines the advised uses of AI and the skills required to responsibly handle this tool.

“It is incumbent upon us to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to effectively and appropriately use AI, enabling them to develop their minds, achieve great academic accomplishments, and gain meaningful educational benefits while building academic stamina,” the Radnor Township School District Website states.

The site goes on to give some language to proper AI engagement in relation to the district’s code of conduct.

“Privacy and data protection are vital considerations when using, engaging, and sharing data with AI. The Radnor High School (RHS) Academic Honor Code (Radnor, 2007) and school handbooks serve as the foundation to gauge or regulate the appropriate use of AI…It is important to develop the skills needed to wrestle with the quandaries that AI presents. Students must be able to determine if the use of AI conflicts with directions from the teacher, Honor Code, or the values of honesty, integrity, respect, and responsibility,” the RTSD Website states.

As the two previously mentioned groups of victims have been female, when looked at from the perspective of an all-boys school like Malvern Prep, the threat may seem diminished. While Malvern students or faculty, to date, have not been the victim of these or other defamatory AI deepfakes, it is important to address how the administrative and security teams would take measures to protect students, faculty and the greater community. Mrs. Korin Folan, Head of Character Development and Wellness and Mr. Curtis Ponds, Malvern’s Public Safety Officer, spoke of their reaction to the incident at Radnor High School and how each of their respective teams would handle and support a similar situation at Malvern.

“There are real consequences to these kinds of behaviors, and the concern is, though it’s happening so fast. How do schools keep up with it?… But the other big thing is remembering that you’re constantly, everywhere you are, representing yourself, your family and your community. We take that, here at Malvern, very seriously,” Folan said.

Mr. Ponds echoed Mrs. Folan’s statement. 

“I’m thinking to myself, it’s dangerous. This one is going to hurt. Some good people are going to lose some good jobs, some kids are going to lose good education… It’s just so scary because you can take an innocent person and make them a murderer, a child molester, or anything, and it looks so real. Do I think society is going to be able to stop it? No. Do I think it’s gonna get worse? Yes.” Ponds said. 

Before he became a lead part of Malvern’s security team, Ponds was a member of local law enforcement and served as a police officer for over twenty years. He spoke about how in-house security would handle such events should they ever happen.

“We have to turn it over to the DA’s [District Attorney] office, because we [Malvern’s Public Safety team] are not law enforcement, but we will do our investigation internally. We will turn it over to Malvern, most likely Malvern will then turn it over to the DA office,” Ponds said. 

It is important to have people to turn to in times of crisis. Mrs. Folan identified who would be best fit here at Malvern to safely and effectively help manage times of crisis.

“I would definitely say a counselor, myself, Mr. Algeo… We often work on these kinds of situations in teams. Whoever you are comfortable with here, whatever adult has a conversation with them, they will help guide you or bring you to someone who can help guide you,” Folan said.

Folan outlined the safety measures that students can individually take, as well as how they can look to change the narrative and make the most of Artificial Intelligence

“Whether it’s somebody receiving something, posting something, creating something. Those are really the guidelines or thoughts that I would encourage people to think about before doing it.  Because look, AI, there are some really cool things that it can do, and it can make life a lot easier, but we can’t allow it to be used in these negative ways. But that’s the truth of anything in life, right? So I would encourage people to get educated on it, and the thing is, it’s happening so fast, it’s changing so fast. I think we’re crazy to think it’s going away, and I think we are crazy not to find ways to embrace it,” Folan said.

Malvern Prep’s Student Handbook, essentially a code of conduct, that all Malvern students and parents sign when joining the community, added the following for the ‘25-’26 school year: 

“AI and “Deepfake” Social Media Use Policy:

As an Augustinian school committed to truth, respect, and the dignity of every person, Malvern Preparatory School prohibits the creation, sharing, or promotion of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated or “deepfake” content on social media that misrepresents individuals, spreads false information, or causes harm to others.”

The statement goes on to offer specifics and potential penalties for violation. 

“Students must not use AI tools or technologies to: Create or share deceptive images, audio, or video of classmates, staff, or public figures. Impersonate others or falsify communications. Produce or distribute harmful or misleading content under false pretenses. Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action, including loss of technology privileges, suspension, or further consequences as determined by the Student Academy Leader team. Students are encouraged to report any misuse of AI or “deepfake” media to a trusted adult or administrator.”

On January 23, 2026, the Radnor Police Department released the following statement via their Instagram page: 

“After being alerted in December of 2025 of the possible use of AI to generate non- consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles that occurred within Radnor Township, the Radnor Police Department conducted an investigation in collaboration with the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and specifically the Delaware County ICAC Detective Division [Internet Crimes Against Children]. As a result of the investigation, a juvenile offender was charged with the crime of harassment for their conduct. Please be alerted to the dangers of AI and that criminal use of it will be investigated and charged appropriately.”

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of artificial is: made, produced, or done by humans, especially to seem like something natural. This certainly fits the images and defamation of the female students at Radnor High School and elsewhere across the country. What is not artificial, however, are the consequences of these actions, both legally and emotionally, and the harm done to the community and its members. 

While it is important to see the situation as it is, a cruel, defamatory criminal incident, schools not just close to Radnor but all over the country can learn from this case. Eyes have been opened to this new danger. As this technology continues to expand its capabilities, awareness is key. Within the Malvern Prep community, we have quality resources, preparation, and protocols in place to protect safety in this artificial age.