Thousands of people sign petition to bring back teacher who was forced to resign after pupil shared nude images from her phone

Thousands of people have signed a petition asking for a South Carolina teacher to be reinstated after she was forced to resign when a pupil shared nude images from her phone.

Students Jacob Barnett, Josh Sinclair and Matthew Caldwell say former Union County Career and Technology Center teacher Leigh Anne Arthur was pressured to leave her job despite her privacy being invaded.

The trio say the 33-year-old teacher, who taught 'mechatronics', involving a blend of engineering and IT, received unfair treatment because the student involved has not yet been punished.

More than 3,000 people had signed the petition as of Thursday morning.

Thousands of students have signed a petition asking for Leigh Anne Arthur (pictured) to be allowed to return to her teaching job

More than 3,000 have signed the petition (above) which calls for Arthur to return to the Union County Career and Technology Center, saying she was forced out despite her privacy being invaded

Arthur says she was forced from her job last week after a 16-year-old student took her phone while she was out of the room, accessed partially nude pictures and forwarded them to classmates.

She says the phone was left on her desk as she patrolled the hallways nearby, and that the student picked it up before discovering images she took to send to her husband for Valentine's Day.

Speaking via email, Jacob Barnett said: 'There is an unspoken rule of the classroom; everyone knows it, don't touch what's on the teacher's desk, or anything that belongs to anyone else.

'Her phone is her private property, and whatever is on it is her business.'

The petition adds: 'Leigh Anne Arthur is the victim of a blatant attack of her privacy. Personal photographs were illegally obtained by a student and were sent to other students in the school.

'After being escorted off of school property, we (the students) are left to believe that she has been forced to, or given little choice but to resign. 

'Mrs.Arthur has not only shown tremendous dedication to her students, but also the mechatronics program itself, often reaching out to local businesses and colleges to get materials that would not normally be available for the class.

'With that being said, the student(s) responsible have not received any sort of punishment. The circumstances in which Mrs.Arthur was let go is unacceptable, and must be corrected.' 

However, school district officials have hit back, accusing Arthur of lying in her statements, saying students were routinely given unsupervised access to her cell phone

Arthur also claimed the student involved, who she has identified but chose not to name, had a grudge against her, telling her 'your day of reckoning is coming' before sharing the pictures.

However, David Eubanks, interim superintendent of the Union Schools District, has hit out at Arthur, accusing her of lying.

He said: 'One of the most critical responsibilities that a classroom teacher has is the supervision of students. In this particular case there was a breakdown in the classroom in that most critical area. 

'Evidence and statements indicate that the teacher was not where she should have been at the time the incident occurred. 

'As a result, a student accessed inappropriate material on her phone, sent it to others, and as a result may also be severely punished by law enforcement as well as the school district. 

'This is a case where a staff member, properly supervising students, could have prevented a very serious problem. 

'Contrary to statements attributed to Ms. Arthur concerning the phone, evidence indicates that students routinely used the teacher’s cell phone with her full permission. 

'The teacher involved has widely reported that the student is not being punished. That is incorrect along with many other statements made by her. 

'The extent of the punishment of the student will be determined by the findings of law enforcement. One error, along with many false statements, by a teacher, has and will affect the lives of many.'