Leigh Anne Arthur used her cellphone to take nude photographs to send to her husband for Valentine's Day — but things went terribly wrong after one of Arthur's high school students allegedly stole her phone and publicly shared the photos on social media and via text message.
Since then, Arthur has resigned from her position as a high school teacher in Union County, South Carolina, WSPA 7 reports. She had previously worked at Union County Career and Technology Center for 13 years.
Arthur claims the theft happened while she was monitoring the halls, according to WSPA 7. She says she left her phone unattended on her classroom desk and a student took it and looked through her photos.
The student then allegedly used his own phone to take pictures of the nudes, which he later texted to friends and posted on social media. The name of the student has not been released, but The New York Times reports he is a 16-year-old male.
“The student who actually took my phone and took pictures turned around and told me 'your day of reckoning is coming,'” Arthur said to WSPA 7.
Union County Schools superintendent, David Eubanks, told The Times that Arthur knowingly let students use her phone for schoolwork. While Arthur says she was forced to resign, Eubanks maintains that the resignation was entirely her choice.
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"It became a regular piece of equipment that they used in that classroom,” Eubanks said to The Times. “Knowing that, why did she put that photograph on that cellphone?”
It's not clear what type of school work Arthur's phone may have been used for in the classroom setting. The school district had not responded to Tech Insider's requests for comment at the time of this post.
“The whole premise of my privacy being invaded is being ignored and that’s what’s wrong,” Arthur told WSPA 7. She also said she planned to press charges, but later told a local NBC affiliate that she has since forgiven the student.
According to reports, the teen has not yet been disciplined by the school, but The Union Times reports the incident is being investigated by the Public Safety Department.
Since leaving her position, more than 7,500 people have signed an online petition to have Arthur reinstated at the high school.
"The ultimate goal of the petition is to get Mrs. Arthur reinstated, though we realize that is unlikely to happen," reads the latest update to the petition.
You can watch the entire WSPA 7 story below.
