Sarah Adams News Detail

Dear District 95 Families,

Our highest priority as a district is the safety, dignity, and well-being of our students. It is with a heavy heart and deep concern for our student body that I am writing to share a recent disturbing incident involving Lake Zurich High School students.

The situation reported to us involves the misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate explicit, pornographic images using the likeness of other adolescents. We understand the profound impact this has on the individuals involved, their families, and our learning community. Please know that we are taking this matter with the utmost seriousness, as such actions are a fundamental violation of the values we work to instill in our students every day.

We are committed to being responsive to our students through the support and care we provide internally. We want to empower our parents and guardians with the tools to navigate this difficult topic at home, while we continue to provide targeted teaching and emotional support within our schools. (More information can be found below under Student Support and Targeted Teaching Opportunities.)

We are unable to share specific information regarding the school-based investigation and/or outcomes for any students involved. However, we would like to provide the following clarity with respect to the school response:

• February 26th - LZHS Administration received a report regarding the possible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate pornographic images (which reportedly included likenesses of other LZHS students) 

• February 26th - LZHS Administration contacted the Lake Zurich Police Department to report the incident

• February 26th and February 27th - Families of all students thought to be involved based on the initial report (students reportedly involved in the possession, generation and/or distribution of content, students whose images were reportedly included) were contacted by LZHS Administration with a detective from the Lake Zurich Police Department

• February 26th through March 6th - LZHS Administration collected additional information, and issued school-based consequences based on data available at the time

• Once information was turned over to the police department, no further information can be made available to the district as this is an active criminal investigation

• No members of the LZHS or district administrative team directly viewed any reported content related to this investigation

• Additional families may receive communication from the police department regarding their student’s involvement in the incident

• Because of the concerning nature of this incident, it is likely to draw media attention, and unfortunately not in a positive light

• Should you have any information related to the ongoing investigation, please contact the Lake Zurich Police Department - Criminal Investigations Division, at 847-719-1690

Student Support and Targeted Teaching Opportunities

Should your student be impacted by this incident, regardless of their level of involvement, please note the school resources linked here have already been shared with students initially identified, and will continue to be made available to all students.

Additionally, please note that messaging for families in Grades 5-12 with respect to targeted teaching opportunities has already occurred at school. Teaching content, as previously communicated, can be found here. 

Additional information for all families regarding safe online practices can be found here. We are hopeful that families continue to review this important information with your students as is developmentally appropriate over the next several days and beyond.

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kelley Gallt

Superintendent