One mother in Huntington Beach, California went through
ten
lawyers until she found Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute (
pacificjustice.org
, a non-profit that advocates for the rights of students and parents) to help her. All the other attorneys suggested she was a "prude" and chastised her about not being up to speed with 2007.Her advocacy prompted the Huntington Beach Union High School District trustees to consider a proposal that would regulate movies in the classroom. The proposal would require teachers to obtain parental permission before showing portions of R-rated movies. The policy essentially discourages the use of R-rated movies in the classroom. Evidently, the Huntington Beach district did not have a written policy. How convenient. Mr. Dacus is quoted in the Orange County Register of January 15, 2008 (
www.ocregister.com/news/movies-kazor-policy-1959439-teachers-school
) as saying:
"The garbage they showed these children...was a very serious breach of parental trust."
The mother said:
"These teachers are supposed to be us when we're not there. They're supposed to be role models. I wanted the opportunity to have the permission sent to me in the form of a permission slip."
Taking up classroom time showing a whole movie seems to me to be a lazy way to approach a teaching job. Recommending a movie to students and then sending a memo home to the parents making that suggestion and explaining its value, seems a more responsible and professional means to what is supposed to be an "educational" aid.
