According to the Greenwich Free Press, Superintendent of Greenwich Schools Dr. Toni Jones was compelled to address a contentious video that was shown to second-graders in Greenwich, Connecticut as part of “a lesson on social and emotional learning.” Some parents felt that the animation in the cartoon, “Alfred Jr. & Shadow: A Short Story About Being Scared,” was far too graphic for young children.
The animated video’s description poses the question, “All children are normally scared, but what do children who are embarrassed, scared, or painful, scared need?” The short story is an instructional film meant for kids between the ages of 6 and 14 that teaches them about various ways to feel scared, what to do when they’re scared, and suggested actions. It also provides advice for adults on how to approach a scared child.Two animated owls discuss childhood trauma in this almost ten-minute video, including “stuff that’s very difficult to talk about,” according to The Washington Examiner. While that may sound nice in theory, some parents who were left “disgusted” claimed that some of the imagery was not.
Kids watch a cartoon clip in which a man with a visibly erect penis is shown standing over what appears to be a “sad” girl, according to The Blazereported. The NY Post reports that after about nine seconds, the image disappears from the screen and is replaced with other horrifying scenes.
A voice narrating the video states, “Some children are afraid that their mom and dad will beat them or that they will fight.” As the contentious picture is shown on the screen for a few seconds, the voiceover says, “Other children have experienced an adult touching or putting their penis in the child’s private parts or mouth” and are “terrified that this will happen again.”
The graphic image, which The Washington Examiner described as “a sexually aroused silhouetted man standing over a dejected-looking child,” didn’t sit well with Newsmax host Carl Higbie, a parent from Greenwich. “Today in my daughter’s second-grade age group class in my hometown, they played an animated video featuring a man holding an ERECTION over a child. This is not acceptable!” Higbie tweetedHigbie added that he was “relieved” that his own second-grader had not seen the movie, but he was also “disgusted” that other parents had contacted him to voice their outrage. He said, “That somebody thought this video was appropriate for second graders was abhorrent,” and Dr. Toni Jones, the superintendent of Greenwich Schools, appeared to agree, stating that it was “not appropriate.” In response to the contentious video, Dr. Toni Jones sent an email to families with second-graders saying, “Around the midway point in the video there is [a] reference to situations in which children may become afraid, including being afraid of abuse, both physical and sexual.” “The content at this point in the video was not appropriate for our GPS second grade classrooms,” she continued, adding that it was “probably meant for a private therapy session for children who have experienced trauma.”Dr. Jones stated that the district notified the Department of Children and Families (DCF) because of the content of the video. The DCF always follows up with parents when they suspect their children have been exposed to material or situations that call for further investigation. She added that parents could contact the district’s psychology staff with any questions, including how to have a conversation with their child about the video. She apologized for any questions or concerns that this may have raised for the kids and said that staff would also provide a student session for parents who would like more support.
While it makes sense that kids should be made aware of the potential risks of sexual abuse, many people disagree, particularly when it comes to children who are 7 or 8 years old, that showing a cartoon version of an erect penis is required to accomplish this. Ultimately, a child would probably be disciplined if they displayed an image that was similar to that of a peer. As Higbie noted, it is evident that the responsible educator either considered this to be “okay” or “didn’t care enough to review this before playing it.” Neither of which gives parents who are upset much comfort.
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