Posted on 06/02/2007 1:52:00 PM PDT by Lorianne
Boulder High School has found itself in the national spotlight after media figure Bill O'Reilly called attention to a controversial Conference on World Affairs panel, held in April at the school.
O'Reilly, host of "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox, featured the topic on his show — including the one that aired Tuesday night — prompting a torrent of calls and e-mails to Boulder High and the school district from viewers nationwide.
In one segment, O'Reilly played sound clips from the discussion, "STDs: Sex, Teens and Drugs," and called panelists and school officials "villains" for allowing it. The "villains," particularly outgoing Superintendent George Garcia and Principal Bud Jenkins, need to be held accountable, O'Reilly said.
School board President Helayne Jones said she was "ambushed" in her garage by reporters from "The O'Reilly Factor" last week. She called police officers to get the reporters to leave.
The school's principal also requested a police escort last week to get in the building after reporting being followed by a Fox camera crew.
Jones and others have received e-mails about the CWA talk, some of which contain "graphic threats," she said. One e-mail, sent to the Camera as well as Garcia, mentions torture and murder as options a "distraught parent" might choose for punishment or revenge against him.
MORE Read the full statement from Boulder Valley Superintendent George Garcia
Statement from the White family in response to CWA statement
Statement from the CWA
A transcript and audio of the "STDs: Sex, Teens and Drugs" panel. www.bvsdwatch.org
An audio recording of the "STDs: Sex, Teens and Drugs" panel, No. 2500 is available for purchase at www.tapesagain.com "I have no problem with engaging in constructive dialogue about what's best for kids," Jones said. "However, the e-mails we are getting are threatening in tone, are abusive in language, and I don't think that kind of behavior is at all appropriate in a public dialogue about what's best for the education of our children."
The Camera has also received an onslaught of calls and e-mails after Denver radio personality Dan Caplis told O'Reilly on the air that Boulder media were "completely ignoring" the CWA controversy.
The Camera broke the story and has had several prominent articles about the panel discussion and its fallout.
Daphne White, a student at Boulder High, initially complained about the panel to the school board earlier this month.
Her mother read excerpts at a school board meeting of panelists talking about the difficulty of maintaining an erection while using condoms, the naturalness of experimenting with same-sex relationships and the benefits of legalizing drugs. A female student also asked the panelists: "Would you have sex with someone you liked? But say he doesn't love you?" The unanimous consensus of the four panel members was "yes."
Garcia investigated the complaint and concluded that the presentation overall was appropriate, though teachers who required attendance violated district policy. In the future, students will be given the option not to attend CWA talks hosted at the high school, and more balanced opinions will be sought.
District spokesman Briggs Gamblin said the majority of calls and e-mails are people "venting" and that any threats are assessed on a message-by-message basis.
Ultimately, though, he said the district wants to move on.
"I think that to the extent that some people wanted more severe action taken toward staff, we're just going to have to agree to disagree," he said.
The annual Conference on World Affairs attracts more than 100 speakers from around the world for a week's worth of discussions, most of which are held on the University of Colorado campus.
I'm just a casual listener...& watcher. (I've much better things to do...) But, I think O'Really does accidently or not...."get it right" now and again.
Maybe it is ALL A RATINGS GAME.....I dunno.
Could be....just a $$$ deal for him. Wouldn't surprise me, in the least.............
FWIW
BTW...he does support it, doesnt he?
He often gets it right. I’ve never denied that. But I refuse to overlook his transgressions. The Swift Boat Vets thing was what did it for me. I lost a brother in that war. And I can’t help but think that were he alive in ‘04 o’reilly would have tried to silence him also for speaking out against a man who called Viet Nam War vets war criminals. BTW...thanks for the civility. Seems some here can’t maintain themselves when proven wrong. Glad to see others can keep their cool. Not that you are wrong. :-P
No worries on the civility...ditto to you.
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