Sources: Several students suspended for ‘cruel’ TikToks impersonating Chester Co. teachers

CHESTER COUNTY, Pennsylvania (WPVI) – The Great Valley School District in Chester County held a press conference on Monday to address issues surrounding the 22 fake TikTok accounts created by students to impersonate their teachers.

The district released a statement Sunday saying the accounts were created by eighth-graders at Great Valley Middle School.

They were first discovered in February, district leaders say.

During a school board meeting on March 18, several parents expressed concerns about the school district’s handling of the issue.

During that meeting, Great Valley Education Association President Nikki Salvatico spoke about the graphic and disturbing portrayals of the reports.

“These accounts contain pornographic, racist, homophobic and cruel images and texts of teachers, their families and their children,” Salvatico explained.

The school district says officials can provide limited information regarding disciplinary actions.

Officials said no legal action could be taken outside of school because the accounts were created on students’ free time and may have violated their right to free speech.

However, sources told Action News that several students were suspended.

The district said it “acted quickly” after learning about the videos, including holding an assembly for eighth-graders on responsible social media use.

The district also consulted with local authorities and asked the Attorney General’s Office to explain the consequences of social media misuse.

Despite this reaction, the district said it recently learned that the posts were still being published.

In addition, the New York Times published a detailed article on this topic last week, bringing it to the attention of many people for the first time.

Superintendent Dr. Daniel Goffredo commented on the new accounts, saying, “Unfortunately, we know that accounts continue to be opened even during the summer months. That is discouraging.”

Goffredo also answered questions from the media on Monday.

“I want to reassure our employees that we stand behind them and will continue to support them,” he said. “It’s very difficult to find out who is creating these online accounts, but we are doing our best.”

“Our teachers have come together in solidarity to support each other because that is what we do,” Salvatico noted.

She said it was emotional for the teachers involved. Salvatico released the following prepared statement on Monday:

“Educating our students is our passion. We need to teach our students how to use technology in an environment that is safe for everyone. What we need are laws and policies that promote that environment.”

“I think we need to use all the necessary approaches to distinguish right from wrong,” Goffredo noted.

The superintendent said he consulted with authorities on the issue on Monday.

“We investigated the complaint and ultimately consulted with the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. We are currently monitoring the situation,” said East Whiteland Township Police Chief Chris Yeager.