Police, school district investigate photos shared by students
WBZ, TIKTOK, CNN
By Brandon Truitt
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DOVER, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A recent set of emails to parents from different Dover-Sherborn school officials forced the Superintendent to step in to set the record straight on a photo sharing scandal that has spanned the entire school year.
Dover police said they started investigating a photo sharing scandal at the middle school in September of 2024. The case, police said, centered around male middle school students possessing and potentially sharing photos of their female classmates.
Student shared photos with classmates
“It was determined that one male juvenile student disseminated these photos of clothed students and included additional nude pictures of an unknown origin in these messages,” wrote Dover Police Chief Joseph Vinci in a statement released on Wednesday. “The identities of the individuals in the explicit photos could not be determined. Dover Police consulted with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, which pursued charges through the juvenile court system.”
In her letter to parents that same day, Superintendent Elizabeth McCoy referred to an email sent to parents a day earlier by a school committee member as, “not factual and could be misleading.”
Judge dismisses case against student
The Boston Herald reported that original email suggested child pornography was being distributed by the teens.
The superintendent’s letter appeared to clear that accusation up and revealed the male student who was charged faced a judge who ultimately dismissed the case.
“We take very seriously our responsibility to protect the safety and due process rights of every student in our schools,” McCoy wrote. “District officials have taken appropriate action throughout this process to adhere to federal, state and district policies and protocols and will continue to do so. The District remains committed to supporting the students and families directly involved in this case.”
The school district says an investigation continues to determine whether Title IX or the code of conduct was broken.
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