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Fairfax County Public Schools is considering new disciplinary rules for students who create or share intimate images, including realistic fabrications generated with artificial intelligence.

The proposed change is part of the school system’s annual review of its Student Rights and Responsibilities guide. It would define intimate images as real, digitally created or altered material and would cover students who produce, edit or digitally generate such images.

School Board member Mateo Dunne said modern tools have transformed what once might have been a hand-drawn picture into a lifelike depiction of a student or employee in a compromising position.

“The ready availability of these tools, the lack of controls on some of these tools is shocking,” Dunne said.

The rules would apply when students use school computer equipment, whether during or after school hours. Cases involving conduct outside school hours and without school equipment could raise legal questions that would need to be resolved individually, Dunne said.

He described the use of AI to generate intimate images as misconduct that is currently “largely unregulated.” The school system has already learned of fake images being used for abuse and bullying, he said, creating the potential for embarrassment and other harmful consequences for students and staff.

Under the proposal, disciplinary action would require a Title IX review and authorization. After that process is formally cleared, a student could receive a suspension of up to five days, a referral to the division superintendent and a required intervention lesson, senior equity and student conduct manager Dionna Shinn told the School Board during a Tuesday work session.

Districtwide discipline standards also proposed

Fairfax County is separately considering universal grade-level discipline matrices intended to ensure that students who commit the same misconduct receive consistent consequences across schools.

The district has proposed introducing those standards in phases over the next three school years.

Board member Ricardy Anderson said inconsistent use of discretion among schools has been a recurring concern throughout her time on the board.

The school system is also weighing clearer definitions of hate speech and slurs following an increase in such incidents.

Dunne said responses should account for a student’s age and understanding. A second grader who repeats a word encountered online may not grasp its significance, he said, while a high school senior is more likely to understand its meaning and historical context.

The School Board must approve the proposed revisions before they can take effect.