On November 20th, 2008, during public comment at a Board Meeting, a concerned parent spoke out regarding the propriety of showing R-rated films to students during classes. The film she cited was “The Merchant of Venice” with Al Pacino, being shown during an English class. She said that rather than containing brief nudity as was described on the parental notification slip, the film had several scenes of topless women, scenes in a brothel, fondling etc. She said she did not feel that such a film was appropriate was a class filled with 15-16 year olds.
She said that for students who did not want to see the movie (or whose parents would not allow it) they could step out of the room, but she felt this ould be embarrassing those kids by making them stick out and exposing them to ridicule. She also spoke of the embarrassment which could be suffered by girls sitting in a mixed classroom with boys watching the movie with topless women, etc. At the time, she was being told that this version of “The Merchant of Venice” was chosen for its historical accuracy.
Not much happened publicly, although she did meet with administrators in the interim to pursue her concerns. More recently, however, she returned to Board Meetings to continue raising objections, with a laundry list of R-Rated films still being shown which she felt had no place in the classroom. At the November 5, 2009, Board Meeting, she brought the issue up again and handed Board members a booklet showing scenes from some of the films she felt were questionable.
At the December 17, 2009, meeting, she spoke again about the inappropriateness of such films in the classrooms, and was joined by many other parents who passionately felt that R-Rated movies should not be permitted.
Jerold Grupp responded later in that meeting that just because the films may be approved for classroom use doesn’t mean that teachers just show the film in a dead-run, that is, turn it on at the start and show the entire thing uninterrupted. However, that response doesn’t necessarily assure parents that children aren’t being exposed to things that might be found objectionable in certain parts of those movies.
A list of films being shown in core classes has been developed by concerned individuals showing the class, connection and some of the objectionable content. The list is not complete yet as not all courses are represented. A synopsis of the list is shown below (the original has much more specificity on some of the objectionable scenes, words etc.).
How Council Rock’s School Board deals with the policy of what movies are to be shown within its classrooms and how to ensure parents’ concerns are met without singling out students by just letting them leave during the showing of the movie remains to be seen. But the turnout of concerned parents December 17th seems to indicate this will not quietly fade away.
Here are links to a Courier Times article about the films, as well as an article by the same reporter for the Intelligencer discussing the meeting held January 21st with beaucoup public comments about these films.
Filed under: Administration, Council Rock, Ethics, Policies, School Board, Students, Teachers Tagged: | Administration, Ethics, Policies, School Board, Students, Teachers
Nothing is more odious in society than people who feel the calling to force their own beliefs, no matter how misguided or dogmatic, on the rest of the community, or even the rest of the nation.
These proclamations, in the name of religion, or morality, or, vaguely, what is “just”, often come from a tiny minority. Occasionally they find the backing of a politician, or celebrity, who publicizes the issue through a media that thrives on controversy. And in a country that seems to bend over like a contortionist to find a civil right for even the most absurd grievances, those tiny minorities stand a decent chance of forcing their off-the-wall views on others.
The concept of book burning should be anathema to every American citizen. We cherish the written word, and technological corollaries like film. Books are never banned for any reason, no matter how distasteful the content may be. Films carry explanatory ratings, enabling audiences to determine for themselves if they care to see them. Some do, other don’t. But each is free to decide, based on their own beliefs.
But there is a third category – those folks who don’t want to read a particular book, or see a specific movie, and don’t want anyone else to have the opportunity to do so either. Seventy-five years ago, in Germany, they were called Nazis. That same oppressive mindset throughout history led to the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, the burning of books and burying of scholars under China’s Qin Dynasty, the destruction of Mayan codices by Spanish conquistadors and priests, and, in more recent times, the destruction of the Sarajavo National Library. Low points in human civilization.
There is now another outbreak of this idiocy, in the Council Rock school system. A local mother, Diana Nolan, is demanding that the board remove numerous books and movies from the curriculum. According to her, classics like “Death of a Salesman”, and “Glengarry Glen Ross” apparently aren’t fit for CR children. Too much foul language. And she objects to the film version of Shakespeare’s masterpiece “The Merchant of Venice”. Nudity, you know. Ditto “Elizabeth”, which won five major international film awards, and was nominated for 13 others, including an Academy Award for leading actress Cate Blanchett. And “V for Vendetta”, which was recognized by various film industry organizations for Best Dramatic Presentation, Outstanding Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, Most Promising Director, Best Feature Film, Best Science Fiction Film, and Best Writing.
Also on the burn list is “We Were Soldiers”, the dramatization of the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang, the first major engagement of US forces in the Vietnam War. It won the 2003 Top Box Office Film from the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, and was the highest-grossing history-based film in 2002, placing 34th out of 478 overall.
Sex, drugs, and suicide (big-time issues among today’s youth), are addressed in two films which offend Nolan. “Garden State” is the breakthrough debut of writer/director/lead actor Zach Braff, the sensitive story of a quietly troubled young man returning home for his mother’s funeral, after being estranged from his family for a decade. It garnered 11 international awards and 25 more nominations. And the animated feature “Waking Life”, which follows a man in a dream who meets various people, and discusses the meanings and purposes of the universe. It was hailed as Best Film/Best Animated Film, by, among others, the Broadcast Film Critics, New York Film Critics, Chicago Film Critics, Phoenix Film Critics, National Society of Film Critics, and Venice Film Festival. But not Diana Nolan. She told The Intel “It sends the wrong message to our children. You’re showing our kids there are drugs without consequences. They should be safe in school.” Safe, yes (whatever “safe” means). But oblivious to the world????
“Crash”, which is offered only to seniors taking a course on human sexuality, and requires parental consent, was honored with an unbelievable 107 “Bests” or nominations, including 2006 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Writing, and Best Editing. It was named Best Foreign Film in Japan, Britain, Brazil, Italy, Ireland, and Denmark. But not by Diana Nolan.
And no more “Glory” (three Oscars, 1991 Human Rights Award from the Political Film Society USA, which recognizes “films that best promote political consciousness”); bye bye “Saving Private Ryan” (five Oscars, 105 more Bests and nominations); hasta la vista “Cold Mountain”. There is brief nudity. CR kids shouldn’t be exposed to such filth.
Here’s a news flash to the Diana Nolans of the world: These movies, and books, which you so blithely dismiss as inappropriate, are the real world. Americans, including brave men and women from Council Rock, have fought the wars chronicled in We Were Soldiers, and Saving Private Ryan – ironically, so that you, and your kids, can enjoy the freedoms you now want to destroy. And there are drugs, crime, family discord, and evil in society. They won’t go away just because we refuse to tell our kids about them (or how to deal with them). And people actually have nipples, and vaginas, and penises. That is how (I assume) your kids came to be. Should we show XXX porn in schools? Obviously, no. But should we burn Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, and Steven Spielberg because, in the proper context, they portray the human body, or contain dialogue that reflects the way people, particularly those under great stress, speak? Again, obviously, no.
Because some films, and film clips, used in CR carry an R rating, the district requires parental permission for students to view them in class. Those students who choose not to participate, or whose parents won’t sign the permission slip (like Diana Nolan, over the objection of her son) are not required to come to those classes, and do an alternate assignment. But, according to Nolan, that isn’t sufficient. To her, opt out means left out. So, Diana Nolan, and several other brownshirt parents, are demanding that no one in Council Rock be permitted to view those movies, or read those books. “If [students are] removed, you’re depriving them a right to education. I’m paying for them to be taught, not singled out”, Nolan explained.
Part of her statement will get no argument. She is indeed “paying for them to be taught”. But there are more than 12,000 kids in the far-flung Council Rock system, 4300 in the high schools. And every one of them is paying to be taught. When you send your child to a public school system – especially one as large and diverse as Council Rock – you have to expect, and accept, a curriculum that satisfies many different attitudes and beliefs. 12,000 students can’t be held hostage by a handful of self-appointed censors who are still stuck in the dark ages.
Shall we require women to wear headcoverings (or more) so as not to offend Muslims? How about separate physical education classes for boys and girls to satisfy ultra-orthodox Jews? Ban textbooks that mention a scientific explanation for the universe because it upsets creationists? Refuse to recognize various forms of birth control in health classes because Catholic doctrine forbids it? If school boards have to get the approval of every family for every aspect of the curriculum, we might even be banning Dick and Jane (well, not Jane).
If you want a curriculum tailored to your own personal beliefs, try a private or parochial school. If you don’t want your child exposed to the real world, become a home-schooler. Let’s hope that the Council Rock directors, and school boards everywhere, have the cajones to wipe out this latest outbreak of neo-Nazi fever.
WELL SAID!!
Thank you for your support not only of the district’s curriculum, but also for the well-rounded education of our youth.