Texas students facing discipline for sharing nude photos of teacher

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Thursday, September 29, 2016
Students accused of sharing nude photos of percussion instructor
Students accused of sharing nude photos of percussion instructor, Deborah Wrigley reports.

KATY, Texas -- A percussion instructor has lost her job after students at Katy High School in Texas allegedly shared nude photos of her. The district also dropped her as an approved vendor.

Katy ISD says the instructor, who was paid by the school's booster club, lost her phone before the school year began.

The phone was found by students, according to the district. There was no security code on the device, which allowed the students to open her photo gallery.

The district calls the nude photos on the phone "inappropriate images." The students are accused of taking pictures of the nude photos with their own phones, and sending them to other students. From there, we're told the distribution went "viral." A parent later learned of it, and reported it to the district earlier this month.

Earlier this month, the instructor was told she could no longer teach on school district property.

"It's disrespectful to go through an adult's cellphone," said one Katy HS student. "The kids were wrong, but she should have a lock on her phone, those pictures shouldn't be there either."

Four students have been identified so far by the school district's police department. They are facing disciplinary action and after phone logs are examined, those who forwarded the photos could also be contacted by police.

KTRK legal analyst Joel Androphy said the students, who may be juveniles, could face further legal issues. If the photo was 'transmitted' without the owner's permission, there could be consequences, under what's called the "revenge porn statute."