Iowa board upholds suspension for student behind deepfake videos of teachers - weareiowa.com
An Iowa student created and posted explicit deepfake videos of teachers and board members, leading to a year-long suspension upheld by the state's Board of Education.
- Incident date
- Aug 2025
- Target
- North Polk Community School District teachers and board members
In August 2025, a student at North Polk Middle School created and posted deepfake videos of teachers and board members. The videos led to a year-long suspension for the student, a decision that was upheld by the Iowa State Board of Education.
What happened
The student used AI to create multiple social media videos featuring at least 15 school staff and board members. The videos depicted teachers performing sex acts, and one implied a teacher was a pedophile. The videos were posted on August 22, 2025, days before the first day of school, and some were viewed more than 86,000 times. The Board of Education determined the videos caused a material and substantial disruption to the education environment, infringed upon the rights of others, and were obscene or lewd. The student's parents appealed the decision, but the Iowa Board of Education rejected the petition.