SoCal teacher placed on leave for allegedly letting students watch Berg vi

[Kadie]

SoCal teacher placed on leave for allegedly letting students watch Berg video

Saturday, May 15, 2004


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(05-15) 04:48 PDT VILLA PARK, Calif. (AP) --

A high school English teacher was placed on leave while school officials investigate complaints that he allowed students to use his classroom computer to view the beheading of American Nicholas Berg in Iraq.

Orange Unified School District officials said Friday they were told that Villa Park High School teacher Stephen Arcudi gave students in two of his English classes the Web site address where they could see video footage of Berg being executed.

"He did not instruct the students to watch it, but apparently he was aware of what was happening and did nothing to stop it," said Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Cohen. "Because of our concern over his judgment and the way he handled the situation, we have put him on leave while we continue to investigate."

Cohen said both a parent and a student complained.


more... http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/05/15/state0748EDT0037.DTL

[dArKeR]

1. High Schoolers See Berg Video - CBS

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/11/iraq/main616842.shtml

[mbperrin]

2. Hmmm...so 18 year olds are old enough to join the military

and kill people (and can make an early decision by 17), but can't watch a video relevant to the current military operations in the world?

Also they couldn't find it themselves and they don't have internet access, either?

These damn teachers! Always allowing the real world in! Now turn to Andrew Marvell and ignore the world today, class.......

[Baltimoreboy]

9. They can watch porn online as well

Doesn't mean we should show it in school.

[mzmolly]

11. I'm 39 and dont want to see that video. Kids in school didn't really

have a choice did they?

Or I guess if they did the choices were:

1. Watch the horrific video
2. Be harrassed for *wimping* out?

[truthisfreedom]

3. both a parent and a student complained... citing that "disgust with bush"

has no place in school.

[progressivebydesign]

4. Access to his computer and the web address...

Idiot. It's one thing to lead a discussion about the incident.. it's another to encourage (which he did by giving the address and access) the students to watch it. I vehemently oppose any teacher allowing something like that without any kind of parental notice or permission. High school students can be as young at 13... tell me that they are emotionally able to handle somethng like that, or to process it. Why are people so lazy about protecting kids? You want to talk post-traumatic stress disorder for some of these kids? If the images of 9/11 were horrifying enough for psychologists to warn about them in regard to kids seeing them, why would something like this be okay?

[Syncronaut Seven]

5. Hmmm... Lets take that a bit further.

"High school students can be as young at 13... tell me that they are emotionally able to handle something like that"

Makes a pretty good argument for avoiding war altogether. Do they have 13 year olds in Afghanistan & Iraq? How are they faring?

[Clovis Sangrail]

6. I disagree

...
But his students said Arcudi did give out the Web address.

"He said: `This is the enemy we're up against and these are the things you don't get to see,"' said Naim Dujak, 17, who added that he watched the beheading.

"People who didn't want to see it, didn't have to see it," Naim said. "He did not force anyone to watch it."
...

That says to me that at least one of his classes has 17 year olds, not 13 year olds, and is likely a junior or senior class. If it comes out the his other class was freshmen, I might be upset.

It also says that he didn't force anybody to watch it.

As far as providing access to his computer, I don't see where that can be determined. Many classrooms have 1 or multiple network conneced computers in them for use of the students in research etc. etc.

I don't see how he is negligent by allowing (not forcing) children to look at an extremely relevant piece of political current events.

[peterh]

7. Villa Park is a well-to-do Ultra-conservative breeding ground….

here in Orange country….in what is largely conservative anyway…

While it’s doubtful that anyone in Villa Park would have a problem with the teacher in talking about who the enemy is, using a snuff film as a prop can be worrisome for these well protected delicate minds……but then, I suspect, everyone in that town has seen the Passion at least twice.

Personally, I don’t have a problem with the showing of the film, though I haven’t seen it myself and likely won’t, if a meaningful debate on the context were to ensue, but that wasn’t the case here. It was one-sided with the teacher getting his message out and then the viewing commenced.

I think he’ll be back in the classroom next week….

[Bigmack]

12. The rightwingnuts want to show that vid 24/7...

everywhere. That's so we can see what terrible people the bad guys are and so we'll forget the prison torture pics.

I think it's a pathology with those sick bastards. Like "The Passion"... they just love all that blood and suffering. I think it's some sexual titillation related to repression. Wait... that sounds too psychological. Let's just say that they are some sick fucks!

[newyawker99]

13. Hi Bigmack!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[TrogL]

8. I would have done the same thing

But then again, I only lasted three years as a teacher.

I would also first has found out exactly what the students' motivations were for watching the video. Kicks - no.

[NashVegas]

10. Me Too

and would make the kids write a short essay on it.

[CRK7376]

14. As one who

spent 13 years teaching high school history and current events...this was stupid. Bonehead teacher screwed up on this one if you ask me. I have no problem talking the issues, showing the newspaper articles and photos, but I would not give them access to my classroom computer to see the video, nor would I give the students the link to find it on their own. Nothing wrong with blasting the current administration...I blasted both parties when they did stupid stuff that effected me, my family, my classroom etc...but to give the kids the link and let themwatch in the classroom the beheading of Berg was wrong. Kids will find it on their own along with all the other things that one may not want their teens seeing or surfing....It's bad enough to see combat wounds and death, which I've discussed in a limited way with my students, but use some common sense....