Students suspended after seeing topless picture of teacher on school-issued iPad

ANDERSON, Ind - Some students at Highland Middle School in Anderson, Ind., got a peek of their teacher's bare breasts on a school-issued iPad while in class.

Those students have been suspended and threatened with expulsion.

The school district said it has taken action against the teacher, but they wouldn't specify what action, only that she is still a member of the school staff.  

"The picture showed up of the teacher topless," said Joshua Troutt, 13, describing the incident that occurred at Highland Middle School. 

He and three other students were in their classroom, playing a game on a school-issued iPad.

He said one of the students pressed a button, and a photograph with his teacher's bare chest was revealed.

"It's not our fault that she had the photo on there," Troutt said. "We couldn't do anything not to look at it, if it just popped up when he pressed the button. It was her fault that she had the photo on there. Her iPhone synched to it. She had to have pressed something to make all of her photos synch on there."

The school district has a handbook that offers guidelines for the use of technology. 

Assistant Superintendent Beth Clark told NewsChannel5's sister station RTV6 the technology use policy was followed and what happened was quite by accident. 

Nevertheless, Troutt and other students have been suspended and threatened with expulsion. 

His mother thinks her son is not being treated fairly.

"He didn't even touch the iPad, another kid pulled up the picture on the iPad," Nicole Troutt said. "He never touched it, period."

Troutt's outrage didn't stop there. She went even further.

"In all reality, you'd think she'd be fired," Nicole Troutt said. "That's a nude picture in the school that the students saw."

Clark would not do an on-camera interview, but she said the students' punishment will not be changed. 

If parents disagree with it, they can appeal.