Some parents are upset that their young children were shown graphic images of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at Broadus Wood Elementary School without their consent.
Principal Kendra King said in a prepared statement that she showed the slideshow of the Twin Towers before, during and after the attacks “to honor those who lost their lives on that day and to remember the day as a significant time in our nation’s history.”
On Sept. 10, the slideshow was shown to the student body of the Albemarle County elementary school as part of the televised morning announcements, according to King.
The slideshow lasted about two minutes and showed massive explosions from the strikes, followed by a U.S. flag being erected by firefighters in the aftermath.
King says she has responded to concerns from parents who consider the images inappropriate for their children.
“In the future, I will ensure that parents are informed of schoolwide presentations before they occur, so that they may prepare their children and make decisions regarding their participation,” King said.
Steve Gissendanner, a member of the Albemarle Education Association and a longtime teacher at Woodbrook Elementary School, said that in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, teachers and administrators had to be sensitive about what was appropriate to show to children.
“We always, as teachers and administrators, think these things through ahead of time and make careful decisions on a grade-level basis, and in some cases, a case-by-case basis,” Gissendanner said, adding that care should still be taken to ensure children are shown age-appropriate material, with proper parental consent.
King would not agree to a request for a five-minute interview last week, releasing the prepared statement instead. Follow-up questions were e-mailed to King, including questions about whether teachers knew in advance that the slideshow would be shown and whether she believes the slideshow was appropriate for all elementary-age children, among other questions. King did not respond.
“There’s not going to be any more comment on it from Ms. King,” Albemarle school communications coordinator Maury Brown said. “The Broadus Wood community has moved on, and she’s focused on teaching and learning.”
Brown said King relayed to her that she would not be answering questions from the news media.
“And we support her in allowing her to get back to her primary mission,” Brown said. “She’s dealing with parents individually as they call.”
The slideshow can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPfWL2ZoZ6I&feature=related.
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