Virginia Photographer Removed from School After Asking 'Can I Eat Your Soul,' Making Students Cry on Picture Day: Report
"Can I steal your identity?" was among the unconventional and inappropriate questions that prompted school staff to intervene.
Messy hair barely made the list of picture day concerns at a Virginia elementary school where a photographer was escorted off school property for making "inappropriate comments" to students.
The incident occurred on Monday at Chittum Elementary School in Chesapeake, Virginia.
A statement from Principal Bridget Outlaw said that "school administration immediately addressed the issue" when the comments were reported. The photographer was removed from the premises, and parents were notified.
"We want to commend our students for quickly reporting the incident. We are thankful that our message of 'see something, say something' was effectively used in this situation."
While school officials did not reveal details of the exchange, news outlet WAVY accessed a now-deleted Facebook post allegedly from a Chittum Elementary parent.
The parent claimed on Facebook that the photographer made her son uncomfortable with questions that included "Can I steal your identity?" and "Can I eat your soul?" According to the post, her son was in tears after reporting the incident.
The photography company, Lifetouch, shared the following statement with WAVY when contacted about the picture day blunder:
"At Lifetouch, our number one priority is the safety of every student we photograph. We have numerous policies and procedures in place to ensure that safety, including training and background checks on all of our photographers. We take any allegation about a photographer very seriously, and are conducting a thorough internal investigation. In the meantime, the employee in question has been removed from all photography duties."
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