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.
Ah, the 'lick the toilet seat' school of parenting...
"At least one parent was reported to have withdrawn her child from the school over the incident."
Right. Let the kids stay in school if there are drugs, gangs, PC indoctrination, same-sex marriage instruction, etc.
But get them out of there quick if someone even hints that maybe abortion is murdering a small child. . .
Pull this out of a children's classroom and put it on the campaign trail. "Democrat X supports THIS. In fact, he wants more of it, and thinks your constitution requires it."
Truth hurts!
Show them the reality.
Let them make informed decisions.
I thought the NEA didn't believe our children needing protecting from detailed information at any age.
Sounds like the film is better viewed when a kid is in his/her late teens. Otherwise I have no qualms showing a kid what abortion really is.
Though I understand and agree children show know the truth
It sounds like this video was not age appropirate for 10 year olds
I don't like when liberals pull their stunts in schools .. I wouldn't like it if our side did it either
The truth in schools? Fire up Ol' Sparky!!!!
While I agree, in principle, to the showing of this type of film, I think that these children are too young. It should be reserved for kids a couple of years older. At 10 and 11, they're just not quite ready to be immersed in the darkest side of humanity.
Exactly. "Age appropriate" has a definite meaning.
The teacher should be criminally charged as if he had shown the kids a porn movie.
IBTP?
Hope this brave teacher has many job offers! Good job sir! Keep it up and may you be blessed for standing up for the innocent little ones who have no voice for their very lives, except yours and ours.
...
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.
And all they objected to was the accurate portrayal of abortion?
What the teacher did was wrong, IMO. Especially in ART class, for goodness' sake! BUT, it does help illustrate the leftist sacramental take on abortion when you look at it this way.
Not really. I saw a filmed abortion in college. I've been pro-life ever since. The positives of seeing something like this far outweigh the negative.
"...I saw a filmed abortion in college..."
What were the circumstances of this viewing? Who produced the film?
These are 10 and 11 year olds, for goodness sake. Some of them could be deeply traumatized.
Not all kids are sexualized and active at this age, no matter what people say. Some are truly innocent. This is wrong. If someone did this to my kid, I'd be furious.
IMO, This should be like the "death on the highway" film we all saw in driver's ed. You could opt out if you wanted, at an older age. But most of the kids saw it to prove how macho they were.
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No doubt a video on group masturbation would have been perfectly acceptable.
In college, sure. When you're 11?
Pro-Life Ping.
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