District finds no credible threat
LORAIN — Lorain City Schools said a student participated in an alarming social media trend involving AI-generated or digitally altered content, but officials found no credible threat to the school community.
The district announced Friday that the student acknowledged participating in the trend. School and law enforcement officials have addressed the situation, according to a district safety update.
The district did not identify the student, the affected school or the trend by name. A post circulating in a local Facebook group connected concerns at Longfellow Middle School to the nationwide “Cat in the Hat” trend.
The trend features unsettling AI-generated or altered images and videos of the children’s book character. Some versions place the character near schools or homes and contain references to particular communities, schools or students.
Police departments and school districts across the country have issued warnings about the trend. Spectrum News 1 Ohio reported that similar videos have circulated in Ohio and include the character appearing to threaten lists of cities.
Lorain City Schools did not confirm that the local incident involved the “Cat in the Hat” trend. The district also did not release details about what the student created or posted.
“Our Lorain City Schools Safety Team continues to monitor the situation and is working closely with the Lorain Police Department,” the district said.
Officials encouraged students, families and community members to report concerning or suspicious activity. Any such reports will be taken seriously and investigated, according to the district.
