Parents Up in Arms Over R-Rated Movies in Classrooms

School officials argue that some R-rated films have educational value.

Some parents in the Council Rock School District are not happy that R-rated films are being shown to their children in the classroom, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I care about what my kids watch,” one parent, Diana Nolan, told Inquirer staff writer Kathy Boccella.

That’s why she formed Parents Active in Responsible Education or PARE – a group fighting to ban R-rated movies from classrooms.

And some parents agree, claiming that many of the films being shown in classes like history and psychology, are too violent and sexual for teens who they feel are not mature enough to watch them.

“Even in the most sheltered households, flipping through cable channels one through 200, you’re going to see these images, said superintendent Mark Klein to the Inky.

The school district and film experts, however, feel the ban is unnecessary, arguing that movies like “Schindler’s List”, “Saving Private Ryan” and even the recently banned "Kids" provide educational value.

"...in the right context, it can be used to teach good thing, such as how to cope with HIV," former filmmaker and Harvard University pediatrician tells the paper.

The Inquirer reports that Klein says that most parents and students support the district’s movie policy which requires parents sign a permission slip before an R-rated film is shown.

“We’re mature enough to understand that the movie has a point to the class,” said Council Rock senior Mike Festa.
 

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