News 12 Digital is highlighting the most-viewed stories of 2018 as part of our 'News 12's Most-Viewed' series. This story on a teacher showing an inappropriate photo in class was first published on March 19. Original story below.
Police say a Seaford High School teacher accidentally showed an inappropriate photo to a classroom of students, prompting an investigation.
It happened last Thursday. Nassau police say the social studies teacher, Mr. Gilbert, accidentally clicked on an inappropriate picture while using his personal laptop, and it appeared on a screen in the classroom.
Cody Cole, a ninth-grader who was in the teacher's class, says the image showed a man's penis. He says the incident was uncomfortable.
"The whole class went silent. He tried shutting it off," Cole says. "He got it shut off, but enough people saw it to where it was silent.”
Cole says the students were pulled into the principal's office after the incident, and they were told they could leave the class if they wanted. Cole says he decided to stay, but some other students left.
Cole's mother, Laurie Cole, says she was also notified of the incident. She says the incident is disturbing, but thinks the district handled it well by notifying parents.
"Although everyone does have their own personal life, things like that should not be brought into the school," says Laurie Cole.
The district said in a statement, "There was an unfortunate incident that occurred in a Seaford High School classroom depicting inappropriate images on a screen. The Nassau County Police Department was called to investigate."
Police say the incident remains under investigation, but at this point they don't believe charges will be filed.
Several students say the teacher has not been in school since the incident happened.