A teenage student who was caught distrubuting explicit nude AI fakes of girls at his top Queensland school escaped being kicked out even after he was charged over it.
Now furious parents have lashed staff at Grace Lutheran College in Moreton Bay for refusing to call in cops when the alert was first raised a year ago.
A member of staff instead ordered students to delete the images from their own phones and told them to speak to police themselves.
Queensland Police said the explicit images were first reported on May 27, 2024, before more families filed reports in July.
A spokesman said officers ‘worked with the school throughout the investigation’.
Authorities dealt with the 15-year-old boy under provisions of the Youth Justice Act on April 19 this year for one count each of possessing child exploitation material and distributing child exploitation material.
But Grace Lutheran College did not expel the boy over the matter and his victims have now said they feel unsafe around the student.
The schoolgirls said innocent images had been taken from their social media profiles and altered with AI before being recirculated among pupils on Snapchat.
A Queensland Lutheran College (above) declined to report the proliferation of deepfake nude images to police, instead informing affected students they would have to deal with authorities themselves
One victim alleged students told school staff about the incident but claims they were told they needed to deal with it themselves.
‘The school also asked to see some students’ phones and said to delete any naked photos we’d been sent, which meant all evidence on hand was destroyed,’ she told The Courier-Mail.
‘We felt the school didn’t believe we were victims and dismissed us as though we were trying to be part of the drama.
‘We still need to attend school with this boy, feeling unsafe and distracted.’
Some of the images had been left on students’ phones after being captured by screenshot by officials, the student added.
She fears the images could now resurface in the future and wreck the lives of victims if it’s not clear they are fake.
One parent said the police investigation was hampered by staff members allegedly giving instructions to delete images.
She said the school’s response was inadequate and staff failed in their duty of care.
Students alleged they were told to delete copies of deepfake images created in their likeness (above, stock image of a frustrated young woman)
Police told her her they had identified the images’ creator using his IP address last year and not through information from the school, and said the college had never reported the incident to police.
The parent said it was unfair to the victims that the boy had been allowed to remain at the school, which made students feel unsafe and uncomfortable.
Parents have now emailed the school demanding the teenager is expelled.
The school last week said it was inappropriate for parents to demand specific disciplinary outcomes.
In a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia, Head of College David Radke said the school acted in line with managerial policies.
‘Over a year ago, Grace Lutheran College Rothwell was made aware of incidents involving students allegedly distributing explicit images via social media,’ Mr Radke said.
‘The College acted immediately in line with our Code of Conduct and Behaviour Management policies, and the Queensland Police were simultaneously notified of the matter.
‘The safety and wellbeing of our students remains our highest priority, and we will continue to educate and support our community in navigating the evolving challenges of the digital world.’
It comes after a separate Lutheran Education school in the state was embroiled in a nude social media scandal.
Students of Noosaville school Good Shepherd Lutheran College allegedly posted illegal images on Snapchat, with the school reportedly made aware in February.
The incident was not reported to police until May.
Police confirmed earlier this week a boy from Noosa Heads was charged with a single count of use carriage service to menage, harass or cause offence.
He has also not been expelled over the alleged offences.
