Fairfax County Considers Discipline for Student Deepfakes

School board proposes policy to address fake nude images of classmates created with AI

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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The Fairfax County School Board is considering a new discipline policy that would lay out how to punish students who create deepfake intimate images of their classmates. This comes after several local students have fallen victim to this disturbing trend, where their photos are used to generate fake nude pictures through AI technology.

Why it matters

The creation of deepfake intimate images can have severe emotional and psychological impacts on victims, even if the images are not real. This policy aims to address the growing problem and protect students from this type of harassment and violation of privacy.

The details

Under the proposed FCPS policy, students could face discipline for creating deepfake intimate images of classmates, even if done outside of school, if it causes a disruption during the school day. The policy is intended to send a strong message that this behavior will not be tolerated. Virginia law also considers the creation of obscene deepfake images a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.

  • In 2024, a student in Virginia Beach named Maggie Bartz discovered an anonymous Instagram account had posted fake nude photos of her, using images from her childhood modeling portfolio.
  • The Fairfax County School Board is currently considering the new discipline policy to address the growing issue of students creating deepfake intimate images of their classmates.

The players

Maggie Bartz

A student from Virginia Beach who had her childhood modeling photos used to create fake nude images of her that were posted online anonymously.

Fairfax County School Board

The governing body of Fairfax County Public Schools that is proposing a new discipline policy to address students creating deepfake intimate images of their classmates.

Ryan McElveen

An at-large member of the Fairfax County School Board who stated the proposed policy is a "very important measure to help protect our students from these kinds of incidents."

Melanie Meren

A Fairfax County School Board member who said they are "really trying to educate kids that this is a serious, serious thing, and we can't tolerate it in our school communities."

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What they’re saying

“It's shameful. It's so, so shameful. It never goes away. I still think about it at least every other day.”

— Maggie Bartz (nbcwashington.com)

“We're really trying to educate kids that this is a serious, serious thing, and we can't tolerate it in our school communities.”

— Melanie Meren, School Board Member (nbcwashington.com)

What’s next

The Fairfax County School Board will vote on the proposed discipline policy in the coming months.

The takeaway

This case highlights the growing problem of students using AI technology to create deepfake intimate images of their classmates, which can have severe emotional and psychological impacts on victims. The proposed Fairfax County policy aims to send a strong message that this behavior will not be tolerated and provide a framework for disciplining students who engage in it.