Stillwater School District parents claim the district did not protect their children against AI-CSAM

Parents fight AI-generated abuse in schools, Stillwater parents planning legal action

Following an incident earlier this year, a group of Stillwater School District parents plans to file a lawsuit, claiming that insufficient measures were taken to protect their children.

In early 2025, William Haslach, a former paraprofessional and assistant for youth summer programs in Independent School Districts #622 and #834, was arrested on multiple charges at both the county and federal levels.

Those charges claim that Haslach used his position at the school district from 2021 until 2025 to take non-explicit photos of children and then used AI to photoshop child sexual abuse material. Haslach also reportedly possessed and received child pornography that depicted children who were abused by others.

Charges at the state level were later dismissed. According to the Ramsey County Court, this was done due to the federal indictment placed against Haslach, for which he is still facing charges.

While Haslach continues to wait for his day in court, a group of Stillwater parents argues that the district did not take sufficient measures to protect children from Haslach.

According to the press release, the pending lawsuit is requesting that districts across the state and lawmakers establish “strict policies” governing how staff use their personal phones during work and regulate when employees are allowed to photograph students.

Imran Ali, an attorney representing two families, spoke on Wednesday, stating his firm, Eckberg Lammers Law, was launching an investigation, the first part of “any sort of lawsuit” that could be filed against the district.

WATCH: full press conference with attorney Imran Ali

“With the advancements of technology that occur rapidly, it’s incumbent on our schools to ensure that they are up to speed and up to date, their policies reflect the new technologies and also the training is put in place not only to provide the staff and faculty of the best practice going forward, but also to ensure there is some sort of adherence to those policies,” Ali said.

In addition to keeping the district accountable, Ali said they needed to demand that Minnesota lawmakers make protections against AI-generated CSAM and other forms of abuse against children a priority.

“The civil investigation is ongoing, but we have learned through multiple sources that there was concerning behavior involving Mr. Haslach. What that concerning behavior was, I can’t get into, but there was prior reports of complaints,” Ali said.The Stillwater school district declined an interview but sent a statement saying safety remains the district’s top priority.School leaders said the district can’t comment on pending litigation, but noted new safety measures.

Those include stricter staff rules on cell phone and photo use and a mandatory training for staff on sexual exploitation awareness and response.

“There’s too many victims. This is happening to too many kids,” Kate, a Stillwater mom, said.

One mom we talked to is calling for stronger background checks and more education to protect students across the state.

“Children need to feel safe. They need to feel that they’re okay, and that then when they go to school, they’re going to be taken care of,” she said.

The full statement from Superintendent Mike Funk, Stillwater Area Public Schools, is below:

“The safety of our students is our top priority. As a school community, we are deeply saddened that some of our students were among the victims in this case involving a former Adventure Club employee. Because this is pending litigation, we cannot discuss specific allegations.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to student safety, we have continued to strengthen our protocols for student supervision and implemented the following safeguards for school-age child care:

                -Staff may not use cell phones at any time when students are present.

                -Staff may not take pictures of students unless pre-approved by a supervisor, and photos may only be taken using a district-owned device.

“Stillwater Area Public Schools has also adopted the most stringent personal device policy in Minnesota, which bans student use of cellphones and other electronic devices during the school day at all levels – preschool through 12th grade. In addition, we have added a mandatory 90-minute training program on Sexual Exploitation Awareness and Response for all district staff.

“We remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for every student in our care, and we will continue working closely with families, staff, and law enforcement partners to uphold the highest standards of safety.”
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