Teen Student Takes Nude Photos Of Classmate For Art Project, Teacher Fired

A British art teacher was fired after she allowed a teen student to take nude pictures of her classmate inside the classroom cupboard.

The Priory City of Lincoln Academy in Coventry, England, sacked Karen Hutchinson, 46, after it was found that she partially violated the institution’s pledge which is required to be signed by parents, teachers and students alike. The third line of the pledge read, “I will ensure that students wear their uniform appropriately at all times.”

Hutchinson reportedly gave her own camera to an 18-year-old student and allowed her to take naked photographs of her 17-year-old classmate for an art project on the female form. She also ensured they would not be disturbed during the activity, by letting them use the cupboard in the classroom for privacy and locking the door to make sure they were not caught, the Sun reported.

In order to bypass the school's IT systems, Hutchinson downloaded the photographs on her own computer and then emailed them to the 18-year-old using her personal account.

The student uploaded the nude pictures of her friend’s torso in a portfolio, which was then evaluated by external examiners. After that, a number of boys from the school were able to view the photos when they were pinned onto an A1 portfolio board.

As soon as the incident was reported to the school authorities, Hutchinson was suspended. She was later fired after the institution conducted an investigation into the matter. It was not immediately clear when Hutchinson was fired.

In a misconduct hearing, the school’s administration criticized Hutchinson, who was the head of the art department in the school, for her serious lapse of judgment. They also likened the incident to distributing child pornography. However, the committee ruled that no further action would be taken against her.

"I have to abandon the gift I was given — teaching others,” she said. While she argued she did not know the girl being photographed was below the age of 18, she also admitted at the same time that she failed to maintain professional boundaries.

In another instance, Dean Sterns, 56, the former principal of the South Royalton School in Vermont pleaded guilty to secretly videotaping underage girls in his bathroom on Tuesday. He admitted to several charges against him, including voyeurism and sexual exploitation of a minor and faced a maximum of 15 years behind the bars with all but five years suspended, as part of plea agreement.