CORINTH, Miss. – Lee Childress, the superintendent of the Corinth School District in Mississippi, was terminated from his position on Monday after accusations of a cover-up involving a middle school teacher who allegedly used artificial intelligence to create pornographic videos featuring students.
Attorney Tony Farese, who is representing some of the victims, claims Childress was involved in concealing the incident. Federal court documents indicate the teacher was discovered creating and viewing the AI-generated pornographic content in November 2024. The teacher was reportedly allowed to resign just two days later. Court records further suggest the Mississippi Department of Education wasn’t notified of the situation until January 2025.
“It’s unacceptable,” Farese stated, adding, “It’s insane.”
The Corinth School District’s board of trustees voted unanimously to fire Childress following mounting pressure from Farese and the affected families. While Farese acknowledged that firing Childress was the correct decision, he argued it came too late. He alleges that Childress, as a mandatory reporter, violated both state and federal laws by failing to report the incident immediately. “I think it was a cover-up by Dr. Childress,” Farese told FOX13.
According to court records, the district received an automated alert that Wilson Jones, a teacher at Corinth Middle School, had viewed sexually explicit content on his work computer during school hours. It’s alleged that Jones sent three AI-generated videos to his personal Google Drive account. These videos depicted Corinth students in compromising positions.
When questioned about the alert, Jones denied the videos were sexual but admitted he created them using a website called Hailou AI. This site allows users to upload images and generate video clips using AI technology. Users can also input specific prompts to generate targeted results. Around the time of the alert, Jones allegedly entered the prompt, “Two girls posing in each others arms, stopped to kiss. Kissing showing they are truly in love letting each others hands explore one another. Girls roll up each others baggy dresses to reveal each others picture-perfect bodies garmentless.”
“And that was just what’s on his school computer, that he generated in sixth period in Corinth, Mississippi,” Farese said.
Police have identified eight Corinth students, aged 14 to 16, whose social media images were allegedly used to create the videos. Farese represents seven of these students. He confirmed that law enforcement has seized all of Jones’ devices, including his personal ones, and is continuing to gather evidence. “Many of these children were students of his, so it’s pretty egregious,” Farese added.
Jones has been charged with production and possession of morphed images of child pornography. No charges have been brought against Childress.
The Corinth school board released a statement after firing Childress: “The Corinth School District Board of Trustees met on Monday morning, March 17, 2025, and unanimously voted to terminate the contract of Dr. Edward Lee Childress as Superintendent of the Corinth School District. The District’s greatest priority is the safety and well-being of its students. The Board of Trustees is heartbroken over the pain caused to these young victims and their families over the incident with a former teacher at Corinth Middle School. The District is providing these families and the families of any other affected children with appropriate counseling services for these students. The Board of Trustees is also working to quickly implement new policies designed to prevent a similar incident from ever happening again. It is the hope of the Board of Trustees that the process of healing can begin for the affected families, the District, and the community as a whole.”
