Professional learning · Teachers, Librarians, Staff · 50 minutes
Know the Law, Know the Line
Teachers and staff learn, in plain language, what AI deepfake image abuse actually is, what the law now requires, and how to respond if a student discloses, so the adult a student turns to first knows exactly what to do.
When a student is targeted by a fabricated nude image, they often tell a teacher, coach, or librarian first, not an administrator. That adult's response in the next five minutes shapes everything. This session prepares every staff member, not just the crisis team, to meet that moment well. Participants learn in plain language what non-consensual AI deepfake images are (image-based sexual abuse, not a prank), what the 2025 federal Take It Down Act and mandatory-reporting duties require of them, and the line they must not cross: never view, forward, or store the material, and never try to handle it quietly themselves. Most of the time goes to practicing a calm, trauma-informed, non-judgmental response to a disclosure, believe the student, make clear it is not their fault, protect them from exposure, and move it immediately to the right people. The stance is supportive and clear-eyed: this is abuse, the adult's job is to support and report, and knowing the line protects both the student and the staff member.
In this packet
- Handout A: Plain-Language Facts + The Line (reading)
- Handout B: First Five Minutes (cut-apart cards)
- Handout C: My Report Path + Classroom Culture (worksheet)
- Facilitator key (last page)
TCEA ELE indicators
- T2.2 I know how to guide students in safe and responsible internet use.
- T4.3 I am aware of the importance of emotional support in academic success.
- AI2.1 I know how to apply ethical principles when using or developing AI for education.
- T3.1 I know how to create a welcoming classroom environment for all students.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/know-the-law-know-the-line.html
Handout A for Know the Law, Know the Line
Plain-Language Facts + The Line
Read with your table. This is background, not legal advice; confirm specifics with district counsel. Restate THE LINE in your own words before moving on.
1What it is: Someone uses an app to fabricate a realistic nude or sexual image of a real person who never posed for it. Doing this to a classmate is non-consensual, it is image-based sexual abuse, and when the target is a minor it is unlawful. It is not a prank, a joke, or "just fake," and naming it accurately matters for how we respond.
2The law (Take It Down Act, federal, 2025): It is a crime to knowingly share non-consensual intimate images, including AI deepfakes, and online platforms must remove reported material quickly. This gives students and families a real path to get images taken down.
3Your duty: School staff are almost always mandatory reporters. If a student discloses this, you are required to report it through the proper channels, promptly. Reporting is not optional and not something to weigh privately.
4THE LINE, do not cross it: Do not seek out, view beyond what you accidentally see, forward, screenshot, download, print, or store the image, ever, including on personal devices. Do not investigate it yourself. Do not promise a student you'll keep it secret. Each of these can harm the student further or put you at legal risk. Your job is to support and report, then let the trained people and law enforcement handle the material.
5Why the line protects everyone: Passing the image along, even to show a colleague or "prove" it, spreads abuse and may itself be unlawful. Keeping a student's secret leaves them unprotected. Handing it off quickly to the right people is both the kindest and the safest action for the student and for you.
Handout B for Know the Law, Know the Line
First Five Minutes
Role-play a disclosure. The staff member practices four beats: BELIEVE, NOT YOUR FAULT, PROTECT, HAND OFF. Swap roles. Try the harder cards.
the four beats
Staff member, practice saying all four: "I'm really glad you told me." / "This was done to you, it is not your fault." / "We'll keep you safe and I won't share it." / "I have to tell the people who can help stop it, here's who."
student role
You're a student: "Please don't tell anyone. I'll get in trouble and everyone will know." (Staff: stay warm AND honest.)
student role
You're a student: "It's my fault, I posted a normal picture and someone used it." (Staff: remove the blame.)
student role
You're a student who shows the staff member the image on a phone. (Staff: practice the line.)
bystander
A student says: "Everyone in the group chat got sent a fake nude of a girl in my grade. What do I do?" (Staff: guide the bystander.)
debrief
After each round: What did the staff member say that helped? Did anything accidentally sting or blame? What would you keep?
Handout C for Know the Law, Know the Line
My Report Path + Classroom Culture
Fill this with REAL names and numbers so you could follow it under stress. Then name the culture that makes students willing to tell you.
The named person I report to (and where they are):
My backup if that person is unavailable:
The exact words I'll use to hand off, and what I will / won't put in writing (and: I will NOT store any image):
One thing about my classroom that makes a student trust me enough to come to me:
One thing I'll strengthen this week to build that trust:
Facilitator only for Know the Law, Know the Line
Answer key and notes
Handout B: First Five Minutes
- the four beats
- Warm, calm, honest. No questions about what the image shows. No promises of secrecy. Move it to the report path.
- student role
- Good staff response: "I care about you too much to keep this secret. You're not in trouble, you were hurt. Here's exactly what I'll do and what happens next."
- student role
- Good staff response: "Posting a normal photo is not wrong. The person who faked and shared it did something wrong, not you."
- student role
- Good staff response: gently "I don't need to see it, and I shouldn't. Please don't send it to anyone. Let's go to [named person] right now." Do not take the phone or the image.
- bystander
- Good staff response: "Don't share or save it, delete it after we report, and thank you for telling me. Let's report it together so it gets taken down."
- debrief
- Aim for every staff member to have one reliable opening line and the handoff sentence ready.