Montana public school officials are considering tightening their policies after a student’s parents were enraged by teaching material they deemed ‘pornographic’.
Students in a Billings high school were directed to racy ads as part of a psychology lesson about how gender and sexuality are portrayed in the media, the Billings Gazette reported.
Matthew and Codele Lurker, whose son is a student in the class, have met with district officials over the issue and questioned why teachers are given such liberty to to select course materials.
Billings Public Schools officials are considering policy changes after a high school psychology teacher directed students to materials such as a Carl’s Jr’s ad deemed too racy for TV
Students were asked to look through a website created by a college professor and select an example of ‘shocking’ use of gender in advertisements
The assignment included analyzing content such as the infamous Carl’s Jr commercials deemed too racy for network television for their depiction of scantily clad women eating burgers.
Students were also asked to look through a website created by a college professor and select an example of ‘shocking’ use of gender in advertisements.
The website offers a compilation of ads that play into the different roles assigned to women, including those of ‘mothers, strippers, dominatrix, naggers and nymphos’.
Different sections of the page delve into a range of topics such as the objectification of women in the media and how sexual violence is glamorized in campaigns by showing images of models in sexually suggestive positions.
The website offers a compilation of ads that play into the different roles assigned to women, including those of ‘mothers, strippers, dominatrix, naggers and nymphos’
The material included in the lesson included images that portray ‘men in control’
‘(The teacher) violated the sacred trust between parents and schools,’ Matthew Lurker told trustees in a school board meeting on Monday where he handed out some of the teaching material in question.
The district’s Superintendent Terry Bouck accepted blame for the incident during an interview with the Billings Gazette in which he said he was ‘personally offended’ by the content shown to students.
‘I’m superintendent here,’ he said. ‘Whatever happens here… it’s my responsibility.’
Bouck said, however, that the district did not receive complaints from any other parents.
Different sections of the website students were directed to delve into a range of topics such as the objectification of women in the media and how sexual violence is glamorized in campaigns
Matthew and Codele Lurker, whose son is a student in the class, have met with district officials and questioned why teachers are given such liberty to to select course materials
The current rules, as reported by the local outlet, let teachers add material they deem appropriate to the the ones provided by the district, as long as those materials fulfill certain academic standards.
Because materials issued by the district are often outdated, it is necessary for teachers to include additional educational tools.
However, educators are supposed to notify parents in advance if the material they plan on including contains ‘mature subject matter’ so their kids can opt out – something that didn’t happen in this particular Billings classroom, according to officials.
Mother Codele Lurker said teachers ‘have been emboldened by this lack of accountability and given ‘too much latitude to introduce their personal beliefs into the classroom.
The district’s IT director Kyle Brucker said the website was initially flagged because of its political content, but not its sexually suggestive images.
‘(The teacher) violated the sacred trust between parents and schools,’ Matthew Lurker said in a school board meeting where he handed out some of the teaching material (pictured)
The district’s Superintendent Terry Bouck accepted blame for the incident and said he was ‘personally offended’ by the content shown to students (pictured)
He said ‘We were all kind of flabbergasted,’ when they came across the ads and the website has now been blocked by the district.
Now, officials will be going over the district’s policy on additional materials, which goes back to 2005.
‘We’re going to fast-forward this,’ Bouck said. ‘We don’t want this to happen again.’
The district is not naming the school or the teacher in question, but officials say they’re taking ‘ongoing corrective action’ with the employee and the Lurkers have been told all additional material in the class must now be cleared.
The Lurkers said they aren’t trying to get the teacher fired and are hoping for a direct apology.
The district is not naming the school or the teacher in question, but officials say they’re taking ‘ongoing corrective action’ with the employee (pictured is Billings public schools)