Catholic school teacher fired for offering extra credit to watch The Passion

[Analog]

NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. -- A teacher at a Catholic school said he was fired for offering extra credit to his seventh-graders for watching "The Passion of the Christ."

Stephen Hathorn, 50, said he had taught at the St. Lawrence School in North Highlands, a Sacramento suburb, for five years before being dismissed last week.

The hugely popular R-rated film depicting the story of Christ's crucifixion was produced by Mel Gibson. It has been criticized for its graphic scenes of torture and violence, and some contend it is anti-Semitic.

Officials with the school and Diocese of Sacramento would not comment directly on Hathorn's dismissal.

The school's principal, Marilyn Fleming, said it is against school policy to assign students to watch R-rated movies.

The school teaches children from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Hathorn called the movie "100 percent true to the Gospel" and said he watched it with his son, a seventh-grader.

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[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: yellowfiero
Hathorn called the movie "100 percent true to the Gospel"

Mel Gibson wrote the Bible?

- M4H

 

[vi edit]

The school's principal, Marilyn Fleming, said it is against school policy to assign students to watch R-rated movies.

IMHO, it wasn't an assignment. It was extra credit. There's a difference.

 

[FleshLight]

Well he could have been teaching Kindergarteners for heavens sake! While I don't care whether a 12 year old watches an R rated movie, I don't think a 5 year old could have handled Passion.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The school's principal, Marilyn Fleming, said it is against school policy to assign students to watch R-rated movies.

Makes sense to me. Firing might be excessive if it's his first offense, but the article doesn't say.

 

[Paulson]

He didn't assign them to watch it, he offered extra credit if they did... there's a huge difference there.

It'd be like if he said there'd be extra credit if kids went to a town meeting or something else (granted there wouldn't be any violence there but you get my point)

 

[Wuffsunie]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

The school's principal, Marilyn Fleming, said it is against school policy to assign students to watch R-rated movies.

IMHO, it wasn't an assignment. It was extra credit. There's a difference.

Not really I would say. It's all "Do this if you want marks" the difference with an extra credit is that you don't have to if you don't want to. They're both in effect condoning kids to watch movies not rated for them (yeah, we all did it, but It's Against The Law and you know how uptight some people can get when it's broken) which the school board would rightly want to avoid.

 

[notfred]

I have no idea why they call it North Highlands, because while it is in fact north of town, it's not really any higher. The whole area is pretty damn flat unless you head east.

I would have made a real comment, but everything i was thinking had already been said.

 

[vi edit]

My other problem with this situation is that an 8th grader can't even (legally) get into an R rated movie without a parents permission or accompanying.

There's nothing against the law having an 8th grader go with their parents to an R rated movie. When I was 14 we watched Schindler's List in my high school history class. Oh noes!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kadarin]

Violent movies aren't necessarily appropriate for children, even if they're events taken from the Bible. No school, not even a Catholic school, should sanction something like this. Firing the teacher may or may not be an appropriate punishment, but that's for the school authorities to determine.

 

[Amused]

I'll bet money this has nothing to do with it being an R movie, or the violence. It has to do with Gibson's (and the sect he belongs to) bashing of the Pope and mainstream Catholic church.

 

[Linux23]

Originally posted by: Amused
I'll bet money this has nothing to do with it being an R movie, or the violence. It has to do with Gibson's (and the sect he belongs to) bashing of the Pope and mainstream Catholic church.

 

[esun]

Originally posted by: Wuffsunie

Originally posted by: vi_edit

The school's principal, Marilyn Fleming, said it is against school policy to assign students to watch R-rated movies.

IMHO, it wasn't an assignment. It was extra credit. There's a difference.

Not really I would say. It's all "Do this if you want marks" the difference with an extra credit is that you don't have to if you don't want to. They're both in effect condoning kids to watch movies not rated for them (yeah, we all did it, but It's Against The Law and you know how uptight some people can get when it's broken) which the school board would rightly want to avoid.

Agreed. Even if it were extra credit, it's not equal opportunity extra credit, so to speak. Some kids would be allowed to watch it, some kids wouldn't, thus it'd be unfair. It would be akin to giving extra credit based on whether or not your parents allow you to see R rated movies at all.

 

[Mallow]

Sounds like the catholic school teachers need to form a union b/c this seems a little extreme and abusive of the school. Verbal reprimand would have been sufficient.