Student and parents urge board action after TikTok account targets Leo Elementary students

A sixth-grade student and several parents asked the ABC Unified School District board on Oct. 1 to take stronger, faster action after anonymous TikTok accounts allegedly used school photos to harass students at Leo Elementary.

At the public-comment portion of the meeting, Ishawn Shaw, a sixth grader who said classmates were too upset to speak, told trustees the account used an official logo and yearbook photos to shame classmates and spread false rumors. "We need the school board to come together and do everything they can to help us find these people and to show zero tolerance in the punishment," the student said.

Parents described delayed notification and students being interviewed without parents present. Elizabeth Antenzano, speaking for a group of parents, said administrators informed some families later in the week than she expected and that some children were questioned and asked to sign statements without parental notice. "We are asking the board to really come together as a community, as a team, to find the perpetrators," she said, urging the district to use all available resources, including law enforcement.

Another commenter read a letter from a student who said they were wrongly accused and felt traumatized by being called to the office. That speaker asked the board to create a formal process so that future incidents are handled with clearer protocols and less harm to students.

Why it matters: Board members and the superintendent acknowledged the seriousness of the reports and agreed to follow up. Trustees asked staff to prepare a report and recommended discussion of whether existing policies and response protocols for cyberbullying and student privacy are sufficient.

What the board did: Public commenters requested a district advisory committee or formal protocol for social-media incidents. Board members voiced support for a follow-up report; no formal action or policy change was taken at the meeting. The superintendent said staff are involved in the investigation and that the district is working with school administrators.

Next steps: Trustees asked administration to return with additional information and a recommended next step (a written follow-up or agenda item) to clarify communication and investigative procedures for social-media incidents affecting students. The board did not set a specific deadline at the meeting.

Attributions: Quotes and attributions in this article come from speakers who identified themselves at the meeting (Ishawn Shaw; parent commenters who identified themselves as Elizabeth Antenzano and Ruby Lynn) or were introduced in the meeting’s public-comment roster. Subsequent references to "the board" and "the superintendent" reflect the meeting's public remarks and staff responses.