This documentary, according to A&E, had a viewer rating of TV14 and was part of the Middle School's library in the media section.  Even though the program was meant for individuals of 14 and older, for some reason the administration felt that it was appropriate for the students of a noticeably younger age to view it and it's extremely inappropriate contents.  Before the documentary was shown to the students, the staff did not feel that it was necessary to screen this program to make sure that it was even suitable for that particular age group.  Not only did they feel that it was unnecessary to screen the program, but they felt that it was not necessary for them to have informed the parents that they were going to be exposing their children to the graphic nature of this film via a consent form.  It is a shame that the administration did not have enough consideration toward the parents to give them the choice on whether they wanted their child/children to be able to view this explicit tape.  A comment was made to me by Mrs. Madonna Pund that "if a tape is in our media center in the library, we do not have to send home consent forms in order for the students to watch that particular film".  I disagree.  There are consent forms sent home if they want to show our children a Disney movie let alone a movie with people showing children how to cook meth in a spoon, put it into a needle to shoot up and then clean the needle with clean "rinse water" to make sure they do not spread disease to their friends while they are sharing a needle.  This is disgusting!

The morning of March 18th, 2008 I requested from Mrs. Madonna Pund to view the video in question.  She told me, "I will have to locate the film and I have to view it myself before you will be able to".  That comment tells me a couple of things.  First, she had no idea what this documentary was about before it was authorized to be shown to our children.  Second, she would not let me view it before her so she would have a chance to be able to come up with a reason to explain herself- if that was even possible; which it wasn't.  Approximately 1 hour after I had confronted Mrs. Pund about this situation, she called me and told me that I was more than welcome to come view the tape and she "personally feels that it should have never been shown".  That comment could not have been more correct.  I viewed the tape and within the first 15 minutes I was disgusted at the vulgar language, explicit drug use and all around graphic nature of the film.  If I had wanted my children to have seen this film, I would have shown it to them in my home to where I could answer any questions that they might have.  It is my understanding that Mrs. Lansche, the teacher that was allowing the students to watch this film during Health class, was reading a book at the same time the students were watching this documentary and not allowing the children to ask questions.  Even if the students would have had questions about the content of this very graphic and instructional film, I do not believe that Mrs. Lansche was the appropriate person to have answered them.  I do not believe that she has the knowledge or the training to be able to approach this kind of sensitive matter in an appropriate fashion.  I believe that in order to PROPERLY educate our children about drug use and its effects, maybe the district should consider reimplementing the D.A.R.E. program so that an officer who is properly trained and educated in these areas would be able to educate the students in a proper manner.  Why the D.A.R.E. program was ever dropped because they didn't want to pay for it still confuses me due to the problem we have in this county with drug use and production.  I guess the district has more important things to spend our tax dollars on.

 

I will not speak for other parents, but I have spoken to some parents about this issue and they are as angry as I am and will not tolerate any more from this school.  As a parent, I expect the school to be honest and forthcoming and let me know exactly what it is they are teaching my child. It is my right to know and it is their obligation to tell me.  I cannot and will not sit back anymore and allow this school to decide what they are going to teach my child other than the required subjects.  If there is a problem, and the proper faculty member is confronted about it, that problem will be dealt with immediately and I will not be told "I will check on it".  The last 6 times that I have gone into that Middle School with an issue with the SAME teacher, I have had that comment told to me.  Well, I am tired of them just "checking" - it is time for some results.  I am a parent and a taxpayer and I have a right to be heard and not just shunned away like I have been (and many others I have talked to have been) in the past.  It is time for a change and we, as parents should stand up for our children and demand that changes be made.  This is our children's education at stake.  if there are some parents that do not have a problem with their children seeing a film about drug users shooting up, seeing a part of the cooking process of meth or knowing how to hide a meth lab in the house, then that is their prerogative - but I, along with alot of other people have a problem with this and I will do my very best to make sure that the school is held accountable for their mistake and make sure that it never happens again.  The school mentioned forming a committee to review the media in the school to make sure that it is suitable for the students to watch.  This is funny considering there is already a TV rating Commission in place in Hollywood that already does this.  Why do they think they have to spend more money to do what has already been done for them?  All the school has to do is follow it!!   Instead of spending money that does not need to be spent on more man hours reviewing these tapes that are already known to not be age appropriate for Middle School children, invest in drug education courses by a qualified instructor such as D.A.R.E. There is a reason that  tape was rated TV14.  That is because it is very graphic and should not be seen by children under that age and ironically, the children in 6th and 7th grade are NOT 14 years old.

It is my understanding that even though this film was shown to students without the consent of parents, some children are not telling their parents about watching it due to the fact that they are scared of the reprocussions to them if their parents were to confront the school about it.  It seems to me that if at any time a parent brings up a problem with the staff or something the staff does, the child of that parent is severely scrutinized and "watched like a hawk".  It seems as though they (the staff) are just waiting for that student to mess up and then they come down on them harder.  I know, for a fact because it has happened before, that my son will be treated much differently and with disrespect because I have "blown the whistle" on the school doing something wrong.  I hope, for their sake, that does not happen.  One thing that must be understood is that we all want a good education for our children, and if we feel as though the school is "slipping" then we, as parents, have the right and quite frankly the obligation to stand up for our children and say something.  If our children stand up and try to defend themselves against the teachers or administration, their punishment just gets more severe.  Favoritism is no stranger in this school or any other and it must be eliminated for the sake of our children's education.  It is time that we hold the school, staff and administration responsible for their actions and quit allowing them to throw all of the blame back on the students.  In order to get respect, you must show it and honestly, I have seen and heard some teachers that have absolutely no respect for some students.  It's funny, in these cases, that they expect the students to treat them with respect and consideration when they can't do it themselves.

 

If you have received an email from the school in reference to the Channel 13 interview, please understand that the Health teacher that showed this film several times in his class in the past also did not notify the parents of the explicit nature of the film and therefore, that is why he never received any complaints.  You cannot complain if you do not know anything about what it is you are complaining about.  I do not know if this teacher knew it was rated TV14, but if he did, then it seems to me that he knew that the video was not appropriate for that age group, but decided to show it anyway. Even though he did provide some explanation about some points, it still was not age appropriate.  Like I mentioned before, there is a reason those ratings are put on shows and it would be nice if some people would just pay attention to them.  I'm am sure that there are other documentaries out there that are age appropriate, but it may take a little research to find them.  In this time of technological advances, it would not take much to find these programs, and quite frankly, if the school wants to educate the kids on drugs, they should first, find an age appropriate video.  Second, send out consent forms to the parents that do not have misspelled words on them. Lastly, make sure that the teacher showing the video is educated in that field to be able to answer any questions the kids might have. 

 

Parents of Middle School children, if you have a problem with this, speak up and let the school know.  You have a right and an obligation to make sure the school is doing right by your child/children.  As parents, we must stay on top of things because if we don't they are going to think that it is okay to do whatever they choose, but they can't.