Art teacher is sacked for allowing 18-year-old girl to take topless photos of 17-year-old classmate in a locked store cupboard for an ‘art project on the female form’

Published: 20:31 EST, 12 December 2018 | Updated: 05:35 EST, 13 December 2018

By Joel Adams For Mailonline

An art teacher has been fired for allowing a pair of teenage girls to take topless photographs in a classroom store cupboard.

Karen Hutchinson, 46, lent her own camera to an 18-year-old girl, to allow the student to take photographs of a 17-year-old classmate for a project on the female form.

• Karen Hutchinson, 46, from Lincoln, lent her camera to the girls for the shoot
• She was suspended then sacked by the Priory City of Lincoln Academy in Lincoln
• The pictures were published in a portfolio and even displayed on a noticeboard
• She downloaded and emailed the photographs herself – getting round school IT

She allowed the pair to use a store cupboard to ensure their privacy – and even locked the door to make sure they were not disturbed. 

But she downloaded the photographs herself, and emailed them to one of the girls from her personal email account, bypassing the school’s IT systems.

And the photographs – of the girl’s torso – formed part of the photographer’s portfolio and were seen by external examiners.

Not only that, but they were seen by boys at the school when they were pinned to an A1 portfolio board,The Sun reported.

Ms Hutchinson was head of art and design at the Priory City of Lincoln Academy. 

The independent school requires students teachers and parents sign up to a pledge, the third line of which, for teachers, is: ‘I will ensure that students wear their uniform appropriately at all times’.

Ms Hutchinson, 46, said she had to ‘abandon the gift she was given for teaching’ after her dismissal. She was fired for allowing an 18-year-old girl to take topless photographs of a 17-year-old girl in a store cupboard for an art project on the female form

She was immediately suspended from her post and later fired.Although she insisted the believed both girls were over 18, she admitted to failing to maintain professional boundaries, at a misconduct hearing in Coventry.At the hearing her actions were likened to sending child pornography and she was told she had displayed a serious lapse of judgement, but the hearing ruled no further action would be taken.Ms Hutchinson said: ‘I have to abandon the gift I was given – teaching others.’