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.
You only die once...
I just finished reading "Lime 5".
whoa.
wagglebee, It concerns me that using the most extreme example of what "might" happen is how you approach this. What is the right thing to do? It is right that we speak the truth and it is right that we defend life. It is not right that we thrust graphic images in the face of someone else's child. The teacher's punishment should be commensurate with what he did. He betrayed the trust of the school and the parents of the children. He should lose his job. I don't care how the other side has been punished. It is not a license for us to do wrong.
Good try, but that response had nothing whatsoever to do with my question.
I was told what my hysterectomy would probably be like, but I don't remember having to watch a movie about it.
It says he faces "INDEFINITE SUSPENSION" LOL! What the heck does that mean? They'll pay him for the rest of his life????? Sounds like you know alot more about this process than I do. Do you know what that means???
I have "known of" women who committed suicide and left notes indicating that guilt from abortion was a factor, but I could not say that I knew them personally. I have, however, known at least four women who have made serious attempts at suicide (as opposed to an "attention getting" tonight I'll take two Valiums instead of one stunts) over guilt from abortions.
I have also known a few women who have had abortions and have never felt any guilt over them. These scare me the most, because they are (in my opinion) either ticking time bombs or sociopaths.
"I don't care how the other side has been punished. It is not a license for us to do wrong."
I never said there is a license for "us" to do wrong.
But when punishments are doled out - they SHOULD be equal across the board - no matter what your political inclinations.
If what I'm getting from your post is correct...there are a whole lotta art teachers (and other teachers) who need to be fired immediately.
Sorry I misunderstood your comment. As to your suggestion in 107, I wouldn't have a problem with children over the age of 13 or so viewing the movie with parental permission. I believe that young children are naturally prolife anyway- I know for me watching the news about the issue I didn't understand why people would want to kill a baby- and yes I believe people see the unborn as babies unless taught otherwise. 10 year old should be restricted to learning about changes during puberty and the basic functioning of the reproductive system.
I think we need to put films of the horrors of abortions in all schools. Along with the horrors of the lifestyle as a homo.
Actually, homeschool is the answer for kids today.
"indefinate" means they have not agreed on a "defined" period of time.
Yes...he is getting paid.
On top of that..the district has to pay more money for a substitute to come in and take over.
There probably will be some sort of process - hearings of some sort - where the suspension or reinstatement terms will be ironed through.
If he is tenured - he has the union and their lawyers behind him, and the process can be very long and expensive for the school district.
So, as I was stating in #110, you were told of the potential risks of a hysterectomy? And obviously your personal situation is none of my business, but my understanding is that while a hysterectomy may be an elective it is usually more a matter of when, not if.
There were a lot more risks for me in NOT having it, but I take your point. And on considering the movie, in fact they did tell us that all surgeries at this hospital are filmed and still photographs are taken as well.
You could see the women in the pre-op tour group looking woozy until I said, "THERE's the Christmas card picture this year!"
Nothing ever does.
oy. It's a no win situation, huh?
LOL. Actually, I'd like to see the schools cleaned out and start over, but I'm not holding out for that.
There is a very good chance that every public school in the country will begin vaccinating ten and eleven year old girls against a sexually transmitted disease. With that in mind, I fail to see the problem with also educating these children about the reality of abortion.
Gotta run for now and do errands.
To give my perspective a little better....I've seen a case where one tenured teacher was so clueless she didn't know 2 kids in her class were giving each other oral sex.
It took 2 to 3 years for administration to find a way to get her out of the classroom - and even then they had to bribe her to get her to "retire".
I guess I've seen so many stupid things that my standard of what is "outrageous" may be different from someone else's.
Are you a woman?
A portion of the info came from the mill that is now the NATIONAL AMERICAN HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
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