CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A photographer ended up being banned from school property during picture day at a local school after making “inappropriate comments” to students.
It happened on Monday at Chittum Primary School in Chesapeake.
Chittum Principal Bridget Outlaw said in a statement that “school administration addressed the issue immediately” after the comments were reported, and the photographer was escorted off school property.
“Parents of the students who reported the issue were notified. Company management quickly addressed the situation and initiated an investigation,” Outlaw said. “We want to commend our students for quickly reporting the incident. We are grateful that our ‘if you see something, say something’ message was used effectively in this situation.”
School officials did not elaborate on what exactly was said or who the photographer was, but WAVY was able to review a Facebook post from someone claiming to be a parent of Chittum's that sheds some light on the incident.
In the post, which has since been deleted, the mother says the photographer asked her son several questions, including, “Can I steal your identity?” and “Can I eat your soul?”
She said her son felt uncomfortable with the photographer's questions and cried after reporting the comments.
The photographer’s company, Lifetouch, shared this statement about the incident through a spokesperson: “At Lifetouch, our number one priority is the safety of all students we photograph. We have numerous policies and procedures in place to ensure that safety, including training and background checks for 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.”
WAVY has also reached out to the woman who shared the post on Facebook. We will update this story when we hear back.
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