Aniya Harmon, 18, stated she was distraught when she found in May {that a} rumor going round Sussex Central High School was true: Someone had created a meme that confirmed her nude breast and had shared it with college workers.

Ms. Harmon and her mom, Tosha White, stated in interviews that they later discovered a disturbing element. Two principals on the college in Sussex County, Del., they stated, had used safety digicam footage to make the meme, superimposing Janet Jackson’s face on Ms. Harmon’s in a reference to the publicity of the singer’s breast through the 2004 Super Bowl halftime present.

The mom and daughter detailed their claims in a lawsuit filed this week in Delaware Superior Court in New Castle County towards the previous Sussex Central principals, Bradley Layfield and Matthew Jones, who’ve been positioned on administrative depart.

On May 17, a instructor who was making an attempt to interrupt up a combat unintentionally pulled Ms. Harmon’s jacket and bra strap, exposing her breast. Ms. Harmon and Ms. White declare that the 2 principals then reviewed safety footage, created a nonetheless picture of Ms. Harmon’s nude breast and shared the meme with college.

They additionally declare that Mr. Layfield shared the unedited video with different college members. The household is asking for felony fees to be filed towards each males. The Delaware State Police and the Sussex County prosecutor’s workplace didn’t reply to requests for touch upon Friday night time, however a lawyer for Mr. Layfield stated that the state police had been investigating.

“I’m still disappointed,” Ms. Harmon stated on Friday. “And I’m still in shock about everything.”

The highschool and the Indian River School District, which had been additionally named as defendants within the lawsuit, didn’t instantly reply to calls looking for touch upon Friday. Messages positioned to cellphone numbers and emails listed as belonging to Mr. Jones weren’t instantly returned on Friday night time.

Mr. Layfield’s lawyer, Thomas S. Neuberger, stated in an interview that his shopper had reviewed safety footage of a combat that broke out at college involving Ms. Harmon. But Mr. Neuberger denied that Mr. Layfield shared that footage — or nonetheless photographs and memes of the second Ms. Harmon’s breast was uncovered — with anybody through electronic mail or cellphone, including that the file measurement of the footage was too massive.

Mr. Neuberger stated that Mr. Layfield, who was head principal, had been reviewing footage on the day of the combat in his workplace and had proven it in particular person to state troopers, assistant principals and a few academics.

“This is in accord with custom and policy in keeping the peace in the schools,” Mr. Neuberger stated.

He stated that the meme was created and shared solely by Mr. Jones, who was an assistant principal.

“I do not know the answer to the question of when my client learned that there was a meme that had been created by this guy,” Mr. Neuberger stated.

Emeka Igwe, a lawyer for Ms. Harmon’s household, stated on Friday that the varsity useful resource officer, “the one designated person who potentially could have seen the video for safety reasons,” was not proven it. Instead, he stated, health club academics and “other males who had nothing to do with this” had been proven the video.

The lawsuit states that Ms. Harmon was not concerned within the combat that broke out on May 17 and had solely advised a scholar who had been yelling at a boy to “quiet down.” As the scholar screamed at Ms. Harmon and “bucked at her threateningly,” a instructor stepped in and pulled at Ms. Harmon’s garments, exposing her breast. Mr. Neuberger claims that safety footage exhibits Ms. Harmon was concerned extra instantly within the combat.

The go well with claims that Mr. Jones confirmed the meme to vice principals, directors, academics and others on his school-issued laptop computer, and that he had labored with Mr. Layfield and “possibly others” to create it.

“Mr. Jones and Mr. Layfield knew or should have known that the data they possessed and shared contained private and confidential information and content, including sensitive and private photographs and video of plaintiff’s exposed breast,” the lawsuit states.

At least six individuals, the go well with states, had photographs of Ms. Harmon’s breast due to Mr. Layfield’s and Mr. Jones’s actions.

Ms. White, Ms. Harmon’s mom, stated that she heard rumors concerning the meme from individuals who labored within the college district or in neighboring ones, suggesting that many individuals had been conscious of it.

When a faculty official known as Ms. White days after the combat to verify that her daughter’s breast had been uncovered at college on May 17, the official didn’t say something a couple of meme or that the footage had been shared or seen by different college, Ms. White stated.

Ms. White and Ms. Harmon discovered concerning the meme on May 19. The principals had been positioned on administrative depart on May 22, in keeping with Mr. Neuberger.

“I was in shock for about four to five hours,” Ms. White stated. “And then once my shock came down, I was infuriated. I was angry, and I’ve been angry ever since.”

Mr. Neuberger stated that the Delaware State Board of Education had knowledgeable Mr. Layfield in May that it was investigating him and that his training license may be revoked. Mr. Layfield was additionally not allowed to be on the podium at commencement to distribute diplomas, Mr. Neuberger stated.

The episode, Ms. White stated, had ruined what was alleged to be a celebratory time for Ms. Harmon proper earlier than her highschool commencement.

Ms. Harmon, now a university freshman majoring in enterprise, stated that within the months since, she observed how a lot the meme and the fallout affected her: She feels extra secluded, and at first of the summer time, she “didn’t really want to go out” or go to work.

“I hope it brings awareness to other schools,” Ms. Harmon stated, including: “Make the school a better place — safer for students.”

Sheelagh McNeill contributed analysis.