Teacher loses job after student steals her phone & shares her naked selfie
COLUMBIA, S.C. - A high school teacher says he forgives the teenager who took his cell phone, found a naked picture and shared it on social networks, even though he lost his job and was harassed as a result. School authorities still blame the teacher, however, and still have to discipline students, pending a police investigation.
Union District Superintendent David Eu-banks County School said Thursday it is their fault for leaving students unsupervised during a break four minutes between classes.
Arthur Leigh Anne, 33, told police on Feb. 18 that while she left her class, a 16-year-old took his smartphone unlocked your desktop, open the Photos application and found a autofoto naked she had taken for her husband as a Valentine's present.
Then, using your own phone, the boy took a picture of the image and shared. Soon, several students were sharing in social networks, and someone copies left, along with a note of harassment, Arthur's mailbox.
State police have examined this evidence, along with the student's cell phone, the spokesman of the Division of Enforcement of the State Thom Berry said Thursday.
School officials are not sure how many people saw the picture. None of the students involved have been suspended or expelled, although criminal charges are likely, Eu-banks told The Associated Press on Thursday in a telephone interview.
"Students are probably going to be charged by the police," Eu-banks said. "When you start transmitting images of naked people, on mobile phones, it is likely to be contrary to law."
Arthur told local media that is part of their job to oversee the hallway between classes. But Eu-banks said some students said it was in an adjoining room at the time, so the director told him to resign or be fired for failing to supervise its class.
"She has tried to do this as if it were strictly related pictures," Eu-banks said. "I could care less what their photos are on the cell phone."
Arthur, a veteran of 13 years, quit his job as a professor of mechanical and electrical engineering and computer programming at the center vocational school. She did not respond to messages left by The Associated Press on Thursday.
In an interview with local television, he said he forgives the student, but believes he should be held responsible.
"We all make stupid decisions when we're 16," Arthur said WYFF-TV. Still, "he had the final decision to take photos of my paintings and he had the final decision to send.!
