Posted on 10/30/2006 5:46:15 AM PST by paltz
(CBS4) FT. LAUDERDALE An art teacher at a Fort Lauderdale charter school is facing indefinite suspension after showing a self-made documentary on ‘good and evil’ to a group of 10 and 11 year old students, featuring gory abortion scenes. Some students and parents complained, and the school objected, but teacher Marc Greenblum says he has no regrets in showing the graphic video.
The film was shown approximately two weeks ago in Greenblum’s art class at the Downtown Academy of Technology and Arts, a charter school funded with tax dollars and under the oversight of the Broward County School Board.
The video, as described by parents who saw it with school officials, included graphic images of the Holocaust, 9/11, and the Ku Klux Klan, among others, and juxtaposed them with extremely graphic images which were allegedly from abortions.
School officials declined to allow CBS4 to view the video, saying they wanted it first to be viewed by Broward County School District administrators, but one student shared his memories of the presentation.
“It was very gory, and all red all over the place,” said one 11-year-old student whose identity is being withheld by cbs4.com at the request of his parents.
“I don’t have any regrets for having shown it and presented it,” teacher Greenblum said Thursday, admitting that even he found the abortion video in the documentary disturbing enough to make him cry. Some of his students said the video was upsetting.
“There was this disturbing picture of a baby’s hand reaching out from the Mom’s stomach and grabbing the doctor’s finger, and there was a baby in a bucket,” the boy said, describing the film played to his art class by Greenblum.
“It’s just so graphic, and I broke down in tears,” said parent Joan Daniel, whose son attends the school and viewed the documentary. Daniel said she viewed the video for the first time Thursday, after her son complained to her, and she complained to the school.
The film was made with the knowledge of the school, and even featured an interview with the school’s principal, according to parents who viewed the video. However, school officials say they were unaware of the full content of the final product and had not authorized its presentation to students.
“He should not have shown this,” said principal Jim DiSebastian, who suspended Greenblum Thursday after CBS4 News began investigating reports of the video’s classroom presentation.
Daniel said she was upset it took two weeks for the school to show her and another parent the video after they complained, and in that time, other parents were not notified the film had been shown, and teacher Greenblum continued to meet with students. When they viewed the video Thursday, the school has yet to take action against Greenblum, and she was at a loss to understand why.
“Someone that’s an educator should know that this is not acceptable, should already know what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable, and this is way over the line,” Daniel told CBS4’s Evan Bacon in an exclusive interview.
“There are consequences,” said DiSebastian, “and he didn’t think, and it can’t ever happen again.”
But despite the objection of his employers, Greenblum remains unapologetic for showing his young students the graphic and bloody images without the permission of the school or their parents.
“I regret maybe showing it a little prematurely,” Greenblum said, “but having done it, no, and having shown it and educating them and maybe it will change their lives, and they’ll say ‘hey, I saw that' and they’ll talk with someone why may be considering it, and then they can actually touch other lives that way, no, how could you say I would regret that, no.”
Not all parents objected to the video. Some gathered at the school Thursday and spoke in defense of Greenblum, saying they believe students need to know about ‘evil’ in the world.
“Instead of keeping them in the dark”, said one parent, “Might as well they be exposed to everything. That’s my opinion. I have no regret.”
The film was turned over to the Broward County School Board, which controls the charter under which the Downtown Academy of Technology and Arts operates. The Academy receives tax dollars for every student enrolled, and most follow all state laws and meet state and county requirements to keep its charter.
Thursday, school officials said they were looking into the situation but had no immediate reaction.
At least one parent was reported to have withdrawn her child from the school over the incident.
So now they're not just victims, they're spineless victims. That's just great.
I wouldn't call it interesting. They sound like typical liberals who think every hoodlum is a victim of society. It's pathetic, really.
I don't think he presented that Task Force report as an example of liberalism, but I definitely see your point.
Misinformed about their choices? Who are you kidding? There's 2 choices: you either have the baby or you don't. Nobody--not even a 12-year-old--has an abortion without knowing that giving birth is an option.
That's how they handled sex education back in my day. Parents were also invited to be there.
Thank you for saying this.
Well, I agree that they should have already known they were killing their babies...not sure why an abortion clinic would have to tell them that.
The real issue is, the discussion never took place. Parents were not informed, did not have a chance to review the material, or decide whether or not the film was appropriate for their child.
I would not want a school taking my child for an abortion without my knowledge or permission nor showing such a film. Two wrongs don't make a right.
I'd say the timing is about right. Knock some sense into the kids before they go out and do something stupid.
ping
"The Task Force found that women were misinformed about their choices, and that overwhelmingly an atmosphere of coercion surrounded the abortion, both from outside forces, and from the staff in the abortuaries."
I was once in a position where some people were advising me it would be the smart choice to have an abortion.
What kept me from aborting?
Members of my family and close friends of mine who had already had abortions shared their experiences - and regrets - with me.
Their experience did not end with their abortion.Abortion did not solve the problems they thought it would - and yes...they were sorely misinformed at the clinic, as well as left alone to deal with their pregnancy by the fathers.
So...because of these women sharing their pain with me - I can be thankful to cherish my beautiful daughter who has grown into an intelligent - and pro-life - young woman.
As far as pro-life groups go, I like birthright and this one...
http://www.feministsforlife.org
Hah! showing the video to the children is bad because it shows what abortion is all about.Brutal? yes it is on both accounts.
There was this disturbing picture of a baby’s hand reaching out from the Mom’s stomach and grabbing the doctor’s finger,
If this is the same thing I have seen (a baby in utero having surgery) I'm not sure I would call it disturbing. Touching, amazing, miraculous yes, but disturbing? Hmmmmm...
susie
Abortion is not porn by any stretch.nobody dies in porn.
No, not even in public schools.
susie
Teachers should ALWAYS have foremost in their minds that these are NOT their children. The parents have the ultimate right to decide, even if the teacher thinks the parents are goobers.
susie
You mean like when they show OTHER sex-ed videos?
Never said it was.
No idea what you're talking about.
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