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.
Of course that's not OK. No one has even inferred that.
While bloody, and perhaps not appropriate for young children, that one shouldn't be "disturbing".
If it is the pic I think it is, they were doing surgery to save the child's life:
And the German people certainly seem to have learned their lesson.
Comparing a hysterectomy to abortion is disgusting. linda, incessant support for social liberal causes is your SOP.
I wasn't the one who made the comparison, Jeri.
I think it can reasonably be argued that 10 or 11 may be too early to allow public institutions to show such a film. The real question is, depending on what state, shouldn't these films be allowed (even required) to be shown to students that are of abortion-choice age, especially in states where parents do not have to be informed or their consent given?
Good point, about the horror movies. IMO, horror movies are a very bad influence especially for kids and teens because they make a callous in the mind and heart about violence.
I still think that 10 and 11 is too young for what this film sounds like, maybe mid teens like 14 - 15, and let the parents know beforehand.
I know. It was sarcasm about the liberal mindset. (I can't even call it thinking because that apparently doesn't happen between a loberal ears) Sorry I wasn't more clear.
You carried the equivalency further.
Abortion is a specially protected act.
I was the one who originally brought up abortion vs. other ELECTIVE procedures. I think Linda missed my clarification about elective as opposed to non-elective, it was an honest mistake.
I agree about the age issue. Simply showing pictures of fetal development at that age is more than adequate. Seeing those would certainly get the message across to 10 and 11 year olds.
I'll tell you, there's scenes in Lord of the Rings that I can't stomach and I can't believe how young some of the kids are that see it and I can't believe their reactions; "Wow, did you see that? It was soooo coool." >shakes head in disbelief...
loberal=liberal Sheesh, typing too fast.
Are you saying that unless one experiences something personally one is necessarily completely ignorant of that thing, and therefore unqualified to speak of it? Does a psychologist have to experience every mental disorder to be able to understand and treat it professionally? Does a medical doctor have to have the diseases he treats? I don't have to personally search through dumpsters or disposals to know that people who dump babies there have something wrong with them.
Cordially,
Absolutely. I wouldn't want my 10 yr. old seeing this kind of thing. Not even sure if my 14 yr. old could handle it either. Sorry but this was just wrong for this kind of thing to be shown to this age group.
Back when I was in high school they showed the movie "Red Asphalt" to every driver training class. It's a gory movie but it gets the point across and it is beneficial to the kids. I doubt that they do this anymore; but if they did, it would be hard to punish this instructor for showing similar content.
I'm saying that a man can never understand the psychological changes a woman goes through during childbirth or abortion....Yes. That's what I said the first time too.
I think I've put my foot in my mouth enough on this thread,
apologies all round!
Shows me that I should read every single reply and not start at the end.
Sorry!
Then shouldn't men be banned from being Ob/Gyns?
Should people who aren't in wheelchairs be banned from counseling those who are?
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