WIAA investigates AI cyberbullying targeting Eastside Catholic alum

AI-generated images targeting an Eastside Catholic High School graduate with Down syndrome have triggered a WIAA harassment investigation.

Diego Gardner-Garcia, 19, was the subject of AI-manipulated posts on Instagram and TikTok ahead of the O'Dea rivalry football game Friday, Oct. 16, the Seattle Times first reported. An account claiming to be associated with O'Dea High School used Gardner-Garcia's likeness to generate images that taunted and threatened him, according to his mother Whitney Gardner.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) confirmed it received three harassment complaints from Eastside Catholic students.

A WIAA spokesperson said the association gives schools 20 days to complete an investigation and report findings.

"I'm devastated," Gardner told the Seattle Times. "I don't know why people make fun of vulnerable populations, but it seems to be socially acceptable these days."

Gardner-Garcia graduated last year from Eastside Catholic's Options Program, which has offered a learning environment for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities since the 1980s.

He competed in bowling and Special Olympics track and field. Fall football games at the Sammamish campus were a highlight of his school experience, according to the Seattle Times report.

O'Dea Principal Jim Walker said he is investigating alongside Eastside Catholic Principal Soonja Larsen. Walker said there is no evidence the accounts are managed by students at either school. Walker and Eastside Catholic President Michael Dougherty issued a joint statement calling the incident a "learning opportunity."

The harassment went both directions. Eastside Catholic reported a separate account to Instagram that had posted homophobic content using the faces of O'Dea football players. Those posts were removed by Saturday, Oct. 17, according to the Seattle Times.

O'Dea, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A at 7-0, defeated No. 4 Eastside Catholic 59-33 at Acosta Field in Sammamish on Friday night. The WIAA investigation has a 20-day window to conclude.