Teacher JAILED for showing high school class violent movie

Folks,
This just came across my home page news stream
Associated Press Link, VIA MSN

So, a substitute teacher in Columbus, OH (USA) showed a violent, (gruesome really) movie to her classes.
Now she is going to JAIL for 90 DAYS
The movie, "ABC's of Death" is definitely not something that is school appropriate. The name alone should have raised red flags.
But, should this be a offense that should result in jail time? 90 days?
The judge sentenced her to, get this, 3 YEARS PROBATION with the 90 DAYS IN JAIL as a part of the probation.

Here is what I would like to know from the vast, diverse ATS Community:
Was it wrong to show that movie to her class? Duh...
Should she have realized after the first showing that she shouldn't show it again? yea..
Should she loose her substitute teaching job at that school/district? I say yes.
Should she be placed on probation for 3 years? I say N O
Should she be going to jail for 90 days? I say N O
Should she loose her teaching degree? I say no.
Final question.. If you were on that jury and convicted her, for what seemed to be a minor offence, how would you feel after the judge hands down this very, very harsh sentence?

This was a high school class.

I'm sure most of them have seen that movie, or similar movies, as well as most having already engaged in sex and possible one or two may have children of their own.

Was it stupid, sure. But I don't think they were really "exposed" to anything.

a reply to: o0oTOPCATo0o

The kids are 14-18 so I bet they have seen much worse.
Yeah she shouldn't have shown it...I have seen it and turned it off after 40 mins...great ideas rubbish film.
I would have shown the Japanese Ring movie it would have scared those kids for good.
Oh and jail for this?....

a reply to: o0oTOPCATo0o

The most startling aspect is this:

Franklin County judge criticized Columbus City Schools on Wednesday for putting Spanish-language classes at East High School in the hands of a long-term substitute who didn’t know Spanish

link

WTF? She played the movie five times in one day. That's five 'Spanish' lessons by a teacher who doesn't know any Spanish. If she'd shown Dark Knight five times, she'd still be teaching 'Spanish' and the students would be learning zero at Columbus' East High.

It was moronic to show an adult-rated movie in High School and her defence that she 'didn't know' what was in the movie was stupid. It's equally moronic to hang a jail term over her when the guys running the school are so clearly negligent in their duties. Some schlocky horror BS is soon forgotten whereas a weak education can last forever.

Never let a college degree and teaching license go to waste.

I remember back in High School in New Mexico, our superintendent was a huge WWII fan. He substituted for a class one day (we were a small school), and decided we'd spend that class watching old WWII footage.

He must have paused and rewound a clip where a guy gets his head blown off (very graphically, I might add) at least fifteen times, chuckling all the way.

That dude was a boss.

Kids today are such pansies.

originally posted by: o0oTOPCATo0o
Was it wrong to show that movie to her class?

Yes, according to law it is.
We can argue that the law is wrong, but it is illegal to show a child something that is rated above their age. She broke the law.

originally posted by: o0oTOPCATo0o
Should she have realized after the first showing that she shouldn't show it again?

Of course.

originally posted by: o0oTOPCATo0o
Should she loose her substitute teaching job at that school/district?

She should lose her job, yes.
She broke the law and she presented something entirely unsuitable to her students.
If she is incapable of understanding her failure then she is not capable of teaching.

originally posted by: o0oTOPCATo0o
Should she be placed on probation for 3 years?

She broke the law and she seemed to do it knowingly, but I would say no.
She should, however, be prevented from teaching anyone under the age of 18.

originally posted by: o0oTOPCATo0o
Should she be going to jail for 90 days?

No.
The problem is, there needs to be standards when it comes to education, and it seems she's likely become an example.
Parents get real uppity and irrational when it comes to education, happy to drop their kids off and take no interest in the education of their own kids most of the time, then they leap on the first minor slight and start attacking when it suits them.

It's likely there needed to be some action taken to placate angry parents. In all honesty, she should have known this was likely too.

originally posted by: o0oTOPCATo0o
Should she loose her teaching degree?

No, she should probably just be prevented from teaching anyone under the age of 18.
She has shown considerably poor judgment, and while you can't get away with that with young kids, she is no threat to those over 18 and will be judged more fairly on her performance as a teacher.

originally posted by: o0oTOPCATo0o
Final question.. If you were on that jury and convicted her, for what seemed to be a minor offence, how would you feel after the judge hands down this very, very harsh sentence?

I would feel a little guilty, but I would also understand that she was probably made an example of to placate the parents and make sure this never happened again. Ultimately, it would not be my responsibility to deliver punishment, just to deal with the facts and deliver my opinion on whether she was guilty of any crime. As she clearly was, my job would be limited and if anyone should feel guilty about the severity it should be the judge.

a reply to: o0oTOPCATo0o

Not all substitute teachers have teaching degrees. I think in most school districts the only credentials you need to get a job as a substitute teacher is a college degree and the ability to breath. They can't find enough college graduates that are willing to take the verbal abuse and headaches that go along with it. A lot of them don't last, especially when they're substituting in an inner city school. Many high school students don't respect their regular teachers, so you can imagine how they treat substitute teachers. I've seen recent college graduates that are certified to teach, sub for a week, and end up declaring they no longer want to get a job teaching!

What this substitute did, doesn't surprise me. All school districts want is a warm body to baby sit the students. They don't vet out or observe their substitute teachers, so they're really clueless on how some of these substitutes act in a classroom. Giving this substitute jail time is ridiculous. I'm sure there are numerous other cases in which substitutes have done worst things than this, but the incidents have never been made public. It's bad publicity for school districts.

originally posted by: o0oTOPCATo0o
Folks,
This just came across my home page news stream
Associated Press Link, VIA MSN

So, a substitute teacher in Columbus, OH (USA) showed a violent, (gruesome really) movie to her classes.
Now she is going to JAIL for 90 DAYS
The movie, "ABC's of Death" is definitely not something that is school appropriate. The name alone should have raised red flags.
But, should this be a offense that should result in jail time? 90 days?
The judge sentenced her to, get this, 3 YEARS PROBATION with the 90 DAYS IN JAIL as a part of the probation.

Here is what I would like to know from the vast, diverse ATS Community:
Was it wrong to show that movie to her class? Duh...
Should she have realized after the first showing that she shouldn't show it again? yea..
Should she loose her substitute teaching job at that school/district? I say yes.
Should she be placed on probation for 3 years? I say N O
Should she be going to jail for 90 days? I say N O
Should she loose her teaching degree? I say no.
Final question.. If you were on that jury and convicted her, for what seemed to be a minor offence, how would you feel after the judge hands down this very, very harsh sentence?

My business teacher the last week of school did nothing but show movies. Heck, he showed us Die Hard, when Bruce Willis said, "Yippie Kye Yae Mother F****er!" He paused the movie and said, "You've all heard your parents say worse, right?" We all replied, "We seen this before, trust us, this is nothing!" So he unpaused it, and kept playing the movie. This was back in June of 1990. You didn't get in trouble for stupid crap then. Nobody got their feelings hurt then over every little thing. Everyday he brought in a cool movie, some popcorn for the class, and we all chilled out and enjoyed our final time together. Why this can't be done now? Because too many people are getting too butt hurt and must let everyone know and must sue to stop it.

IF YOU ARE FAINT HEARTED SKIP THIS POST PLEASE

Back then, when I myself visited 10th class (between 15/16 years everyone) we had WW2 in history class.
We had people from Russia, Ukraine and a girl said her ancestors were from White-Russia in class. They all had german names (Friedrich, Schott are two that I remember), so they were the grandkids of people who fleed to Russia/ukraine and they were hated there because they were "German" and were not allowed to speak German. Back here, they were called "Russians" and were told to integrate and not speak Russian. Get the spin? Most of us kids grew up in a sane family and had sane friends. They were no different for the most of.

BUT not for all, of course kids are drawn to the "cool outsiders" in this particular case "neo-nazis". Simply idiots.
So they began to find it funny to call them "damn russians" "go back to your homeland" "your grandpa shot my grandpa in the back" and so on, you get the gist. Dumb childrens speak.
One day it escalated and a big fight in the classroom started. I remember the 4-5 guys being beaten the # up after they thought it would be funny to hold the girl and draw a really nasty but out-of-context-word with black markers on her.

So fast forward to our history lesson at the same week, about WW2.
History was held by our vice principle(Mr. Gold), a much respected man you could listen for hours to what he had to say.
Well respected! So he came in and brought a TV with a video tape player on a rolling table with him, send the girls out and locked the door. He said he´s aware what happened and he wanted us to watch the following video and placed the group of idiots right in front of the TVset.

He said the following words (translated of course):
"What I´m going to show you now is not allowed but you leave me no room I will end this once and for all" and pressed play.

LAST WARNING TO SKIP
The "movie" began and it was really blood and gore everywhere, I do not know if this was some sick propaganda from back then or a really bloody war-movie or even real pictures. ##SNIPPED## He pressed stop and even I felt guilty and bad (I was one of the first fists that hit the nose of one of the idiots so on the "good" side if you want to draw it black and white)

No one said any word.
Then the raised his voice, he was also in a slight depressed mood you could hear it when he spoke up
"Everyone of you could have been that girl! EVERYONE"
"Now, is there ANYONE who thinks its funny to be fascist/nationalsocialistic?"

Of course no one said any word, just stared at their pencils or away from his eyes

"But I think there are some people in this room who do! Those people mindset was partly responsible that I have to teach you about a second worldwar. Does anyone think he´s better than anyone other?"

No answer.
He let everyone of the guys stand up after another and asked:
"Explain yourself"
Of course no one could. Everyone of those cool guys suddenly broke into tears, one after another, a crying mess bubbling for mercy. Then he said to us others.
"Let this be a lesson for everyone of you to never NEVER NEVER act without reminding yourself that you have a human person in front of you, regardless what nationallity or skincolor they have no more or less value than you!"

Then he sent us out but kept the other guys for some more words.
They were healed from that thought after that day you never heard anything racist or judging from them and they distanced themselfes from the "skinhead"-idiots.

The conclusion for me:
While this was shocking of course -and I had luck to sit far away from the TV where you could not make out much details-
THEY LEARNED THEIR LESSON
and began to get along with the "russians" like they called them before and some even got good friends after that. Normal people again.

ATTENTION:
I know some may say they definitly had a knack after that. Maybe but not in a way it would show up. Or would someone like that sell spiced hot wine on the 24th evening beneath the church and spend the money afterwards? At least two of them I know (they lived up the same street) partok in that and -I might confuse him with another one- one guy went to africa for a year but never came back. He stayed there after his apprenticeship as a carpenter.


I´d like to add something important I forgot to say:
It´s not my opinion that this was the right way to do it but for sure the fastest to suffocate those thoughts right on spot

What is exactly is she being punished for? Most would say for showing the movie, but that makes no sense. Rather, it is because of the supposed effect the movie would have on the class. First of all, to accurately gauge the effect of a gruesome movie on the class, and how it affected each student, would have to be done on an individual basis. It may be that the movie had no negative impact on any of the students. If that were the case, should she still be punished? If you say yes, then I refer you back to my earlier statement that punishing her for showing a movie does not make much sense; rather, it is because the students are not adults, and thus somehow a movie of this nature would have a negative impact on them in some manner.

I have long had a problem with lumping people together based upon age. The age restrictions placed on a variety of things in our society are more cultural than anything else. The idea that a minor is less mature or developed than an adult is just hogwash in many cases, although it might hold true in other cases. But there is also the fact that some adults are functioning on the level of a minor. Is it acceptable for an adult functioning on the level of a minor, whether it is based on maturity, ability to make decisions, etc., to be able to consent to something like sex, when their level of functioning or brain development is not that of an adult, despite their age? It is usually said that minors are treated differently because they do not have the capacity to know what is best for them, or to make their own important decisions, but if you analyze this belief it becomes apparent that the reasoning makes no sense.

But legally speaking there must be a legal age where a person becomes an adult, and this age can be determined by judging the average age at which people are fully developed mentally and physically. Even though there are probably many 14 year olds who have reached an adult level mentally, just like there are probably many 24 year olds who lack that same mental development, it is much easier to use blanket laws than it is to evaluate millions of cases on an individual level...if that were even possible.

So back to the movie and the teacher. I do not believe it would be correct to say that all of the students could not "handle" the movie, or were negatively affected by it, because with what kids are exposed to nowadays from so many places, they are used to a variety of unpleasant things. So I do not think that any real harm was likely done. But with that said, because of the fact that they were minors, legally they do not have the ability to consent to watching a very horrible movie, if that movie is worse than PG-13. Parental consent would be a different story however. So the way I look at it is like this: from a common sense standpoint it is completely insane to sentence the teacher to jail time because she showed a bad movie to the class, granted that the movie was not pornography. So common sense says this is too harsh of a punishment. But what about from a legal point of view, which is the most important in this case considering that she is going to jail. It all comes down to whether she broke the law. She must have, considering she's going to jail. I don't know what laws were broken, and it is probably something dumb.

Part of the problem with our legal system is that judges are given too much freedom of action, and there is too much leeway given to their personal opinions. If a judge does not like a specific defendant, they will give them harsher treatment or a longer sentence. This whole "range" when it comes to sentencing is ridiculous. The US loves making laws so much, so they should make punishments exact, in black and white, instead of letting corrupt and opinionated judges, (like Judge Judy,) make up their minds depending on how they might feel that day or how they personally view what the person did. I would bet that in this case there are many judges who would not have given the teacher time in jail. Those would be the judges with some decency. What happened in this case probably hit a nerve with the judge, who then abused their power by giving a sentence like this. What is worse is that a judge like this probably does not realize that they're being biased.

a reply to: JiggyPotamus
Exactly what I think, word for word for word.
I do not say that often but you deserved that star I gave you! To be honest if I could fill that bar with stars I would just to highlight your post for others to read.

originally posted by: MisterSpock
This was a high school class.

I'm sure most of them have seen that movie, or similar movies, as well as most having already engaged in sex and possible one or two may have children of their own.

Was it stupid, sure. But I don't think they were really "exposed" to anything.

That isn't the point. Just because some kids might have been exposed to "much worse" doesn't mean they all have. When and where kids are exposed to such things is supposed to be the purview of parents, not some public school substitute.

This, in short, is one of many reasons why my kid isn't in public school.

I have to ask what the educational value of this film was supposed to be?

From my teaching experience, any film shown in a classroom was supposed to have some kind of educational value. What was the supposed educational value of this one?

a reply to: ketsuko

So I ask you (in peace) what´s your stance on what I wrote?
When the parents can´t see or even are the reason for it, is there a justification for such an action?
Did Mr. Gold deserve Jailtime or secret respect?
How would you have acted if your kid were me?

BTW, we all agreed to never say anything and it seems everyone held word, of course until now (he´s retired and most likely dead by now)

I think it's really a shame that posters here think just because someone is a teenager or young person they have seen a lot of gore in their lives. When I was a teen I never watch this crap. I know a lot of teens who hate violence and gore. Most 14-18 year olds have more to do than watch horror movies. Plus, this was a SPANISH class. The image on the movie alone is horrific. What does it have to do with Spanish? Or teaching students something, anything?



The ABCs of Death," consists of 26 chapters, each depicting some form of grisly death and representing a letter of the alphabet, such as "E is for Exterminate," ''O is for Orgasm" and "T is for Toilet."

She claims she hadn't seen the movie. Except that she showed it to 5 different classes. The students were disturbed:

a student testified Kearns watched the 129-minute movie. The student said the movie was "disturbing" and said students in the class went "crazy" while watching it.

An assistant principal who saw the DVD movie playing in the classroom confiscated it.

In this day and age where a young child is expelled for eating a poptart into the shape of a gun, a 58 year old teacher has no excuse for her behavior and as the article says, the title alone should have alerted her. IMO, seeing the cover on the DVD should have been a second endorsement of the type of movie it was. Where did she get it, why did she get it for an academic class?

Jailed - no. Permanently fired from teaching - yes. Anyone with that lack of moral judgment shouldn't be a teacher, just like the other idiot teachers out there hurting our children.

Television 24/7/365 it pumps scenes of rape murder and all manner of violence in as much graphic detail as possible, directly into our homes and childrens bedrooms!

If that judge wants to jail people let him start with the tv peeps first!

originally posted by: verschickter
a reply to: ketsuko

So I ask you (in peace) what´s your stance on what I wrote?
When the parents can´t see or even are the reason for it, is there a justification for such an action?
Did Mr. Gold deserve Jailtime or secret respect?
How would you have acted if your kid were me?

BTW, we all agreed to never say anything and it seems everyone held word, of course until now (he´s retired and most likely dead by now)

And your opinion on educational value? Would you agree there was some to what he did?

I ask you what the value was to this film? Did some graphic lesson need to be made to prove a point?

The outrage should not be over what movie it was.....ANY movie in school is absurd. Do you think the Chinese or Japanese or Koreans are showing movies in class? The West is on a slow skid to stupid.

a reply to: kosmicjack

I remember the only Film we were shown at school.
At primary school also infront of the whole school.
Watership down.

Big mistake over two hundred crying children and the teachers couldn't cope...I had seen it before so wasn't effected but I sure did laugh .