In a story from Gawker, a heartbreaking photo of a second grader with spinal muscular atrophy who was forced to "sit out" his class photo went viral over the weekend, sparking accusations of discrimination directed toward the school photography company Lifetouch Canada Inc.

"I couldn’t comprehend how the photographer could look through the lens and think that this was good composition," Miles Ambridge's mom Anne Belanger told the Toronto Star. "This just boggled the mind."

"This was not a malicious act," Belanger acknowledged. "I don’t think it was done on purpose. I just don’t think there was any rational thinking behind it."

Following significant "coaxing," Lifetouch finally agreed that the photo was a "mistake," and arranged to have the photo re-shot, this time with Miles sitting on a bench beside his classmates with a caregiver providing him with support off-camera.

Despite the rectification, Herbert Spencer Elementary School said it would no longer be employing the company's services following a number of complaints concerning the photographers' lack of concern.

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[family photo via The Province]