"Brokeback" School Viewing Draws Lawsuit

Suit Claims 12-Year-Old Suffered Psychological Distress After Watching R-Rated Film In Class

(CBS/AP)  A girl and her grandparents have sued the Chicago Board of Education, alleging that a substitute teacher showed the R-rated film "Brokeback Mountain" in class.

The lawsuit claims that Jessica Turner, 12, suffered psychological distress after viewing the movie in her class at Ashburn Community Elementary School last year.

According to the lawsuit, the substitute teacher in Turner's eighth-grade class last May was Mary Buford, the Chicago Tribune reported. Allegedly, Buford told the class, "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class" and had a student close the door, the newspaper reported.

The film, which won three Oscars, depicts two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair.

Turner and her grandparents, Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, are seeking around $500,000 in damages.

"It is very important to me that my children not be exposed to this," said Kenneth Richardson, Turner's guardian. "The teacher knew she was not supposed to do this."

According to the lawsuit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court, the video was shown without permission from the students' parents and guardians. Richardson had previously complained to school officials about reading material he said contained curse words.

"This was the last straw," he said. "I feel the lawsuit was necessary because of the warning I had already given them on the literature they were giving out to children to read."

Richardson said his granddaughter was traumatized after watching the film, telling him that "They made me watch this bad movie." He went to the school to speak to Buford, Richardson told the Tribune, but she refused to do so without her union representative.

Messages left over the weekend with school district officials were not immediately returned.

[ecuadoriana]

"What we need are more smelly, none-too-bright, emotionally stunted bigots who think a John Deere baseball cap is formal wear. Those are real American men, right there. ;-)"
Posted by jimibear at 02:08 PM : May 14, 2007

JIMIBEAR !!! I demand monetary compensation for the short circuiting of my keyboard from my morning cup of coffee snorting out my nose when I read your "suggestion"! I'd say $500,000 should do it.

You crack me up!

[klingon69]

who think a John Deere baseball cap is formal wear. Those are real American men, right there. ;-)
Posted by jimibear at 02:08 PM : May 14, 2007

Well ***, I got two, one fer everyday and one fer
speshul okasons. Ya know lak whan I maryed mah cuzzin.

[klingon69]

Teacher Unions wonder why parents want to pull their children out of public school, it is teachers like this that give public schools a bad name.
Posted by hopesurvives at 01:44 PM : May 14, 2007


And people wonder why I homeschool my child.

[ksd95]

It's not that I think it was okay for the teacher to show the movie--because of it's rating...not because it deals with homosexuality. In this day & age...children are going to know about homosexuality...there is no way around it. I don't think that the point that the men were gay in the movie should be the main concern of these people.

I also believe that they are asking for WAY TOO MUCH MONEY!!!!!!!!!!

[sofi2hot]

everyone has something to complain about now dont they???

[processor2]

TYPICAL

Wacko liberals will defend showing a movie (about a couple of ****'s) to a group of 12 year-olds, under the excuse of "academic freedom".

But if the movie had been about Jesus Christ, howls of protest and censorship would be heard from the very same Wacko left-wingers.

...

TYPICAL

[phoenix1218]

I don't know about anyone else, but this 12 girls' age is rather young to be in the 8th. grade. She must have skipped a grade to be 12 in the 8th. grade. If this is the case then I think she is probably smart enough to realize the movie for what it is and that the teacher is a moron for showing it and that if she was so 'traumatized' she could have walked stright to the principals or nurses office.

[phoenix1218]

The movie is rated R. That means, no one under 17 without a parent or guardian's approval and presence. Was even a permission slip signed? And it's a fictitious movie as well. Schools need to be about facts. Not agendas. Period.
Posted by hypnotoad72

Hypnotoad72,
Just so you know, movie theatres CAN allow kids under 17 into R rated movies. It is NOT a law, only voluntary, however most (if not all) theatres abides by the guidlines. As afr as showing an R Rated movie goes teachers ARE supposed to get signed permission slips from the parents/guardians.

[phoenix1218]

It was a stupid movie. Grandpa would be happy to know that one of the homosexual characters gets beaten to death at the end.
Posted by xfredmenzies

I have not seen this movie, nor do I care to. Not only was this teacher wrong for showing an R rated movie without parental permission but the content of the movie, illicit affairs (g@y or straight) and then to have a character beaten to death at the end. COME ON, even without the content of the movie overall watching someone get beat to death is traumatizing enough.

[phoenix1218]

That family is asking too little. They should be asking for tens of millions. Let the filth-stirring f@ggots go peddle their *** in the toilets. The filth-stirring f@ggots are opposed to the christian krap being taught to the children; so that they can brainwash the children with their filthy deviance. It's about time we begin to confine the f@ggots; because the sick b@stards continue to get more and more brazen as time goes by. Posted by Agnim

WOW, a LOT of hate there. The ONLY thing I agree with in this post was that people don't want christianity being taught to kids but it is (or appears to be) okay to teach h0m0sexuality to kids. THAT isn't right. If you are going to teach one, teach both. But seriously Agnim, go take some anger management classes or take some paxil, you need to chill!!!

[phoenix1218]

School districts have policys and curriculum for family life education. Parents can preview the material before they give conscent for their children to take the class. Schools leave everything but the basics to the parents to decide what is appropriate for their child. This teacher was just way out of line. If she wanted to show a video, every school has a library of acceptable ones on educational topics.
Posted by httpwwwnews

Schools leaving it up to parents to decide wether or not they want their child participating is not always the case. Some parents fought and lost a fight about their kids reading a book about 2 male penguins raising another penguin or another case about two kings getting married.

[phoenix1218]

...education begins at HOME,...the reason our schools are such a mess is because...parents do NOT do their jobs at home. But here...the Grandfather IS doing his job...and the school system is fighting him...What a bunch of HYPOCRITES!!! We parents get 5 or 6 short years to instill some values into our kids; and the schools get 12+ years to UNDO the values we've tried to teach them by hiring sociopaths with suitcases full of "issues" that they can't get another rational adult to listen to..but gain a captive audience..our CHILDREN.
Posted by Grandmaboobo

I agree with you. The school system is always saying that the parents need to take a more active role in educating their children yet when we do they slam us for it. I am very involved with my sons schooling and the teacher has commented that my husband and I are great about calling or sending in notes and she is also quick to tell us that she thinks we are doing a good job with our son. Parents these days need to be the parents and stop being their kids friends. This teacher should be fired for what she showed. I had a teacher in HS (GOD rest his soul) that showed the movie FEAR with Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon. There was a part he fast forwarded through but realistically he should have received permission first to show it. Other than that he was an excellant teacher. But there is a slight difference, we were in HS, these kids were 11-12 years old. BIG difference.

[phoenix1218]

If this was any other movie that had a HETEROsexual couple doing it, this wouldn't be nearly the issue, would it? It all goes back to bigotry-plain and simple. Posted by butseriously

I would not want my child watching a R rated film, I would not want my child watching a movie abuot h0m05exuality but I would also not want them watching a movie were there is an illicit affair going on wether or not it is straight or g@y.

[funkiwiteboy]

I believe homosexuality is a sin

[funkiwiteboy]

I beleive that homosexuality is a sin

[processor2]

TYPICAL

Wacko liberals will defend showing a movie (about a couple of ****'s) to a group of 12 year-olds, under the excuse of "academic freedom".

But if the movie had been about Jesus Christ, howls of protest and censorship would be heard from the very same Wacko left-wingers.

...

TYPICAL

[jmagarotz]

Liberals believe in being open minded and tolerant. We're not stupid.
Posted by lhwrites at 07:31 PM : May 14, 2007

My experience has with liberals has been that you are tolerant and open minded,,, as long as I agree with your point of view.
You liberals insist your way is the only way and that I must conform to your rules or you're going to "Ram it down my throat"! Wrong, if you don't like my point of view I don't care, go live your life, your stupidity shows when you want to force the rest of us to live under "your rules"!
If you would just "Live and let live" we would all get along much better and the USA will be a nicer place to live. Unfortunately that's not going to happen for a long time. Is it?

[crystalblue3]

Personally, my issue isn't with the movie itself but with the R' rating. That teacher shouldn't have shown that movie to 12 year olds period. Doesn't really have anything to do with the type of ***. *** PERIOD is the issue. R' rating PERIOD is the issue. I would feel the same way if she had shown Texas Chainsaw Massacre to them.

What I want to know is what was that stupid woman thinking when she showed it? What was her motivation? What's wrong with Charlotte's Web??

I think she needs to be fired. Absolutely.

[itwasntme000]

If this was any other movie that had a HETEROsexual couple doing it, this wouldn't be nearly the issue, would it? It all goes back to bigotry-plain and simple.
Posted by butseriously at 06:55 PM : May 14, 2007

dammm skippy. and rightly so. But this is not bigotry, this is the natural order of things. Homosexuality is a disease, a disease that hinders an animal from perpetuating the species. They are outcasts thru and thru.

[grandmaboobo]

Grandpa should have sued for 500,000,000. I won't even address the Christian or moral principles that were violated here; the point is that this arrogant child abusing teacher blatently broke the LAW! No parent in America can say..what happens in this house, stays in this house and expect that to save them from prosecution. Yet we have teachers, who RIGHTLY comment that parents expect them to do OUR jobs, and then wonder why kids end up bringing guns to school. You cannot HAVE your cake and eat it too! I agree whole heartedly that education begins at HOME, and most of the reason our schools are such a mess is because so many parents do NOT do their jobs at home. But here we have a case where the Grandfather IS doing his job at home..and the school system is fighting him tooth and nail for it! What a bunch of HYPOCRITES!!! We parents get 5 or 6 short years to instill some values into our kids; and the schools get 12+ years to UNDO the values we've tried to teach them by hiring sociopaths with suitcases full of "issues" that they can't get another rational adult to listen to..but gain a captive audience..our CHILDREN.
I AM a grandmother raising 2 young grandchildren, and a Christian; but I can assure you that MY reaction, had this been done to MY granddaughter would have been MUCH stronger than Mr. Richardson's. That teacher would have found herself with a 2ft long *** toy implanted in her anatomy and then we'd see how much she wanted to continue to glorify the act!