The recent incident involving AI-generated explicit images of students at Cascade Junior/Senior High School has deeply affected members of our school community. We grieve with those who have been hurt and fully acknowledge that their experiences and perspectives are real and valid.
As a District, we remain committed to supporting all affected students and families. At the same time, we recognize the importance of correcting inaccurate or incomplete information when it causes further confusion or harm in a community that is still healing.
This situation has caused concern, frustration, and pain—especially for those directly impacted. We want to provide clarity about the actions we have taken in response, and how we are continuing to support our students, staff, and families.
Since late March, the District has taken several deliberate steps to address the incident and strengthen our systems moving forward, including:
Holding a special School Board meeting on April 28 in response to a family petition for additional attention and discussion.
Conducting an internal review of our response timeline, decisions, and communications.
Collaborating with law enforcement, including the Cascade Police Department and Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, to ensure alignment with their investigation.
Engaging staff members of Cascade Junior/Senior High School to review our internal communication practices and how messages are both sent and received.
Meeting with City of Cascade leaders to align our efforts with local needs.
Providing counseling and student supports, both internally and through community partnerships.
Two of our board members made themselves available on two separate dates to hear directly from victims and better understand their experiences.
Reviewing relevant board policies to support continued improvement.
We also want to acknowledge an important limitation: as a public school district, we are bound by federal law, including FERPA, which restricts what we can share about individual student matters—especially disciplinary actions. These legal boundaries are not a reflection of inaction. In fact, we have taken all appropriate steps allowed under the law.
While the conduct in question occurred largely outside of school grounds and hours, we responded immediately—alerting law enforcement, offering support to students, and reflecting on how we can do better moving forward.
Social media can be a powerful tool, but it can also spread misinformation that adds to the pain and confusion. We ask our community to be mindful of this as we work together to support healing.
This has been a challenging time for many. We remain committed to providing a safe, supportive environment for every student in Western Dubuque Schools, while respecting the integrity of the ongoing criminal investigation. Thank you for your trust, your care, and your continued partnership.