After their children took their class photos at Aboyne Primary School, located approximately 30 miles west of Aberdeen, Scotland, parents were shocked to be offered two variants: one with all the members of the class and one without children with complex needs.
Aberdeenshire Council said the decision was not made by the school, and the link to the photos was immediately removed, the BBC reports.
Natalie Pinnell, the mother of one of the children erased from the alternative photo, publicly denounced the incident in a Facebook post.
“This week, a photography company erased my child from a school class photo. Why? Was she not aesthetically pleasing enough?” the mother wrote on Wednesday (March 27).
A school photographer offered parents the option to choose between two class photos: one with the whole group and another that excluded students with disabilities
Image credits: Natalie Pinnell
Pinnell continued by sharing her reaction to the incident: “To say I am disgusted, devastated and absolutely heartbroken is an understatement. My daughter is AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL! Shame on anyone who believes that the erasure of ANY human being is in any way ok.”
She added: “The school were amazing. They were absolutely appalled.”
Pinnell shared that her eldest daughter was diagnosed with autism in 2017.
According to the World Health Organization, about 1 in 100 children has autism.
The term encompasses a diverse spectrum of conditions related to the development of the brain, which can manifest in some degree of difficulty with social interaction, focus on details, or unusual reactions to sensations.
Natalie Pinnell said her eldest daughter, who was diagnosed with autism in 2017, was erased from the class photo
Image credits: Natalie Pinnell
“To say I am disgusted, devastated, and absolutely heartbroken is an understatement,” the mother wrote on Facebook
Image credits: Natalie Pinnell
In the comments of the post, the mother wrote that she hopes that the “awful experience” will shed light on the issue of discrimination against children with developmental disabilities.
She also wrote that three other children were edited out of the class photo.
Tempest Photography, one of the biggest school photography firms, informed that it had spoken to the photographer involved and the school and that it’s now investigating the matter.
Aberdeenshire Council reacted to the situation with a public statement, deeming the photographer’s decision “unacceptable” and apologizing to the parents.
Aberdeenshire Council apologized to parents for the “unacceptable” incident
Image credits: Aboyne Primary
“Why? Was she not aesthetically pleasing enough?” Pinnell asked after her daughter was excluded
Image credits: Natalie Pinnell
The Aberdeenshire Council wrote: “We are aware that following Aboyne Primary School’s recent school class photographs, links to purchase the pictures included images with and without complex needs provision pupils.
“Whilst this was not a decision taken by the school, we absolutely appreciate the distress and hurt this has caused some parents and carers, and we are sincerely sorry.
“The issue has been taken up with the photography company directly, as this is totally unacceptable.”
The council added: “Aboyne is an inclusive school, and every single child should be included, engaged, and involved in their learning and school experiences.”
People called out the photographer for discriminating against the children
