Sinister happenings at the Ogden School District
Text 
By DOUG GIBSON
Commentary
dgibson@standard.net
Something sinister is going on at the Ogden School District. Some parents are trying to push out a fifth-grade teacher at Hillcrest Elementary, Carol Ferguson, from her position. Full disclosure: my daughter is a student in the class.
The parents object to the students -- part of an accelerated program -- viewing a 1999 television movie, "The Devil's Arithmetic." Based on a well-known novel often used as a teaching tool, the film details a modern-day girl thrust back in time to 1942 Poland, where she experiences the horrors of the Holocaust.
A rumor started that the film was rated R. It is not. One online selling site erroneously listed the film as being rated R. It is -- as most TV films are -- unrated. (As of Thursday morning, that site has taken the R rating off its listing of the film) The film is highly acclaimed and has won Emmy awards in children's films categories. It is sometimes listed as a family film.
Late news: On Thursday, in a very strange development, copies of the incorrect online R-rating listing were left at school for children in the class to read. I'm sure that wasn't authorized by Hillcrest officials. I hope they investigate this attempt at manipulation.
On Wednesday I received an e-mail from one parent who strongly criticized Ms. Ferguson for showing an "R-rated film" and claimed she "threatened" students not to tell anyone it was R-rated. The e-mail also claimed Ms. Ferguson had shown a "civil war" film that was objectionable.
I questioned my daughter and did research on the "The Devil's Arithmetic." I learned, at that time, the film is regarded as high quality, is not R-rated and that the novel is used to teach children about the Holocaust.
I have no doubt that the Holocaust is a difficult topic to teach. One can argue whether fifth-graders can absorb those lessons. I have no trouble with parents raising their children as they see fit. If they object to their children learning about the Holocaust through this film, choose another class. An accelerated class, in my opinion, must teach the Holocaust in an appropriate manner.
I am concerned about the Ogden district's response to this. Apparently there was a heavy campaign against Ms. Ferguson waged by some parents. On Wednesday and Thursday she was not teaching at Hillcrest. Rumors circulated at midweek that she may be gone for good.
I talked with Rich Moore of the Ogden district. He confirmed there is an investigation of Ms. Ferguson. He appreciated the information that the film is not rated R. He said that the film would be viewed. Although he refused to comment on Ms. Ferguson's status, it was clear that her absence this week was related to the complaint.
What has happened to this teacher is wrong. The Ogden School District, if it wants to placate some parents, may investigate to its heart's content, but not at the expense of harming a fine teacher's career. There was a parents' meeting on Thursday night. Hopefully, it starts the process of closing this issue. District officials need to stop this type of intimidation by a few.
Gibson is the Standard-Examiner's assistant editorial page editor. He can be reached at dgibson@standard.net.
Reader Comments
sinsiter in deed:
Others have pointed out very elegantly the gross errors in your reasoning and the falseness of your claims about the film. What no one has mentioned, however, and what disturbs me greatly, is the sinister insinuation in the last two sentences of your comment that Ms Ferguson has some kind of hidden history. You offer no proof of this; you offer no examples of the dastardly behavior. All you do is throw out an unsubstantiated, libelous accusation in a naked attempt to tar Ms Ferguson's character and derail the discussion. You can't win on the merits of your argument, so you turn to character assassination instead. You seem to be proving my earlier point that this whole business smacks of personal vendetta.
Mr. Gison, since your paper helped stip up this mess, perhaps you could have someone investigate the core curriculum and see if your daughter'st eacher was teaching by the book-- that is, following the curriculum. Perhaps Sinisetr inded would like to help research that topic. Sinister thinks Ferguson did the wrong thing. I would like to see evidence that she was not following curriculum and that a teacher is supposed to give advance notice for everything she does in the class. Do you have any evidence?
Dear Sinister Indeed:
What puzzles me, and I imagine a lot of others, is the shrill over-reaction of many parents, like yourself, to the news, which turned out to be false, that an R rated movie had been shown to the class. Since the film involved was a made for TV film, it had no rating... not R, not PG, not PG-13. No rating at all. No made for TV movie does.
To have what sounds like a mob of angry parents demanding that a teacher be fired without checking, very carefully, to see if the grounds for their demands were accurate, makes little sense to me. A calm call to the principal would have been appropriate, and would have led to the knowledge that the film had not been rated R.
If the teacher violated school policy by not having the film pre-cleared by the administration, that could and should have been dealt with by the principal calling the teacher in to discuss her mistake, and to make sure she understood the policy and would not violate it again. Unless the film itself was wildly inappropriate... involving on screen sex for example [which noone is alleging so far as I can tell]... this could and should have been handled by the principal quickly and calmly. An angry mob of parents seems a wild over-reaction to me.
I'm curious, Sinister. The movie won two emmys for children's movie production, and it won a prestigious award for children's movies that convey religious values. What exactly in the film do you object to the children having seen? Or is your shrill demand for teacher firing based entirely on her having possibly made a procedural error? Do you have an objection to the content of the film, and if so, what is it?
The continued comments and debate on this important issue are appreciated. I would like to offer a few more observations:
1) The facts do not support this being tagged as an LDS/NonLDS issue
2) The key issues, in my opinion, are the unfair process the teacher is enduring and the overreaction -- by some parents and the district -- to a false Internet report of a quality film and teaching tool
I don't doubt that every parent in the class cares deeply about their child's education. The best result to this unfortunate event is to have the teacher back in class, and every student back in class.
sinister indeed,
I truely grieve that there are children being raised by a parent like you. Too bad you had the misfortune of being born in the 20th century. You'd have been much happier in the Middle-ages.
All I'd like to know is why you don't want your child to learn about the Jewish holocaust?
(You'll probably have to go look up what I mean by "Middle-ages". Try a good encyclopedia because I doubt you have a computer.)
Without the study and understanding of history - the good, the bad and the ugly - future generations are destined to repeat it. One holocaust is already too many in mankind's lineage.
What all of you people are failing to see if that Mrs. Ferguson is WRONG! She broke the law and district policy by showing whis movie without the consent of the district,or the parents. I'm also outragged that Doug Gibson thinks that since his daughter is in an accelerated progam that this teacher is above the law and can show this movie to the children. If he wants his daughter to watch movies that are above the rating of the kids. It is proven to be PG 13 then HE needs to take his daughter somewhere else like private school. Not the parents who think that their children should not have be shown the movie. Let me point out one more time that Mrs. Ferguson broke the law and the disctrict regulations on this matter. Do you honestly think the only issue with this teacher was this movie? I don't believe that is the case.
I am astounded that anyone would object to this film. I own a copy. It is an excellent film and provides an opportunity for children (and anyone else) to learn more about the Holocaust. Before canning Ferguson, maybe someone could have checked out the film.
Salt Lake Girl:
You wrote: "The worst part, however, is that the School District caved to a misunderstanding and did not support its teacher." I thought the same when I read the story. What kind of leader starts tossing his people over the side at the first whiff of controversy or complaint?
The article in the paper yesterday about this issue is part of the problem. The teacher's name is given, but not the name of the complaining parent. I know there are bad teachers out there. I do not know Ms. Ferguson but I would not presume she is bad. Now she has been slandered in the press, and apparently there was a meeting last night at Hillcreat where the villagers appeared to be gathering to run this woman out. Yet we still do not know the name of the parent. The worst part, however, is that the School District caved to a misunderstanding and did not support its teacher.
It's my understanding that ALL movie shown in schools have to be approved Before they can be shown! Who approved this movie for 5th grades? If it was approved then it must have some redeeming value, right? Teaching our youth about the Holocaust is a good thing, not a bad thing.
Thought folks might be interested in knowing this about the Showtime film. It not only won Emmy's for "Outstanding Writing in a Children's Special" and "Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special." It also won "The Wilbur Award," which as been given since 1949 for "outstanding communication of religious values in public media: print, film, video, broadcasting and cable."
Having school administrators cravenly cave to the demands of hysterical parents because they believed, wrongly as it turns out, that it had received and "R" rating is inexcusable. I wish school administrators would display a little of the intellectual courage they are [we presume] trying to instill in their students. Agreeing to have the curriculum shaped by an ill-informed parental mob is both an abdication of the administrators' responsibilities, and a dangerously poor precedent to set.
Let me guess; Ms. Ferguson is not LDS, encourages students to think for themselves, and teaches a realistic view of the world and our society.
That's why some parents would have it in for her.
The district should not limit their investigation to Ms. Ferguson's actions, they also need to find out who it is that started this malicious attack on her. Such obvious, bald-faced falseness smacks of personal vendetta.
I am disgusted by the district's limp defense of Ms. Ferguson and their sycophantish bootlicking of a vindictive minority view. The disctrict needs to grow a backbone. They should stand behind their teachers until such time as it is proven the teacher does not deserve the disctrict's support. Here they have done just the opposite.
Ms. Ferguson has been wronged twice in this incident. Both wrongs need to be rectified.
Twice in a row I agree with what you're saying. Careful Doug, the right wing bitties may strip you of your conservative label.
School officials, tyranny of the minority is as dangerous as tyranny of the masses. If those parents want their children wrapped in the darkness of ignorance, as Doug states, put them in another class!
I hope Odgen school officials don't grovel at the feet of a vocal minority of parents who wouldn't understand a high-quality educational tool if it slapped them in their closed-minded heads.
Sounds like these parents have a case of the fifth-graders' neh-neh-neh-neh-neh-neh; that is, grow up, people. Stop the juvenile emails, the knee-jerk reactionary responses, finger pointing, mud slinging, etc. Instead -- imagine adults doing this these days -- instead, get the movie, watch it, learn. Like your kids. Little kids.
As for the school officials, jeez people. Come on, stand up a little straighter. Put that backbone to work. be great educators, as I'm sure you already are. But be great leaders too, and lead these parents -- and us -- forward, with this movie AND this teacher intact.
Maybe sinister in deed is the disgruntled parent who called the Examiner in the frist place. How owuld you like your reputation smeared by an anonymous complaint?