Student Posts Selfie With Cadaver in Alabama, Causes Outrage
An Alabama high school student could be in serious trouble for posting a photo to Instagram of her posing with a corpse during a school field trip. The girl took the photo down, but not before a fellow student managed to copy the image and alerted school officials.
"We were notified via email this morning from a parent that this incident had occurred. We are speaking to the University of Alabama Birmingham, they are understandably upset with this incident and we want to preserve our relationship with the University," Karen Tucker, the Limestone County School Board Director of Public Relations and Technology told UPI. "Therefore, we are speaking to them and wanting to know how we can mend this process and keep our relationship with them, and we are in the process of deciding on the discipline that will occur."
The incident took place when students from a biology class at Clements High School were allowed to take a field trip to the University's biology department. The students were in the same lab as the donated cadavers and instructed not to lift the sheets that covered the bodies. They were also told not to use their cell phones during the trip.
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One student, however, who has not been identified, lifted the sheet long enough to take a photo with one of the cadavers, then post it to Instagram. In it, she can be seen smiling next to the body. Principal Keith Hairrell would not comment as to whether the girl will be suspended for a period of time or what her punishment may be.
"Tours of our facilities to introduce students – primarily high school seniors – to the teaching and research we do, play an important role in educating future scientists and doctors. Our policies require discretion and respect in our human anatomy facilities. No phones are allowed, no photos are to be taken, and faces of cadavers are covered. A student was made explicitly aware of these policies and breached them. This kind of disrespect is unacceptable and very disappointing. We will review our processes to ensure this does not happen again," a statement from the University explained.
