A hired photographer was removed from an elementary school after allegedly making inappropriate comments to students during picture day.
According to local news reports, the photographer, who had been hired for picture day, was kicked off school property at Chittum Elementary School in Chesapeake, Virginia on Monday.
In an email sent to parents on Wednesday, Principal Bridget Outlaw of Chittum Elementary School reportedly confirmed that the photographer was escorted off campus for making “inappropriate” comments” to students.
WTKR News 3 reports that the incident was brought to light via a viral Facebook post from a woman who identified herself as a parent of a child at the school.
She claimed that the photographer asked her son, “Can I steal your identity?” and “Can I eat your soul?”
In the Facebook post — which has now reportedly been made private — the woman’s son was asked what the photographer could eat, if not his soul. The boy replied “I don’t know, noodles?” according to the post.
However, the photographer allegedly replied: “Demons don’t eat noodles.”
She said her son was uncomfortable with the photographer’s questions and cried after reporting the comments.
In an email sent to parents, principal Bridget Outlaw said that parents of students had reported the incident to administrators, who then had the photographer removed from school property.
“The safety and well-being of our students are our top priorities,” Outlaw writes to parents. “We take any reports of inappropriate behavior very seriously.”
“We are thankful that our message of ‘see something, say something’ was effectively used in this situation,” the principal adds.
Outlaw said that the photography company was also notified and “swiftly addressed the situation and started an investigation.”
According to local news outlet Wavy, photography company Lifetouch who employed the individual is now investigating the incident.
“At Lifetouch, our number one priority is the safety of every student we photograph,” a Lifetouch spokesperson says in a public statement.
“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.”
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.