May 13, 2007
FROM SUN-TIMES WIRES
A suit was filed on behalf of a 12-year-old girl who claims she suffered psychological distress when a teacher showed in class the gay-themed movie “Brokeback Mountain.”
The girl, Jessica Turner, and her grandparents Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, are seeking more than $400,000 in damages under the suit filed Friday against the Chicago Board of Education and others.

According to the suit, a substitute teacher introduced herself as Ms. Buford to Jessica's class at Ashburn Community Elementary School, 8300 S. St. Louis Ave. She then said, "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class," the suit claims. Buford then had a student close the door, and started showing the controversial R-rated film, which features two men engaged in sex.

The suit alleges Ashburn's principal, Jewel A. Diaz, was aware that the tale of the love between two cowboys set in the West of the 1960s was being shown to the minors.
Turner later told her grandfather that she was confined to her seat and felt she could not leave the room, according to the suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
The plaintiffs accuse Diaz, Buford and the Chicago Board of Education of negligence, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit claims Jessica continues to suffer from emotional distress caused by watching the film and is currently undergoing psychological treatment and counseling.

The plaintiffs accuse Diaz, Buford and the Chicago Board of Education of negligence, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit claims Jessica continues to suffer from emotional distress caused by watching the film and is currently undergoing psychological treatment and counseling.

How is this the Principal or Chicago School Board's fault? Sure, they hired the teacher but what from reading that small snippet, they could hardly be held responsible for what she did. Blame lies with the teacher, not the board… at least until anything else comes out of this.

That said, whilst it's unfortunate that children under the classification range for the film were shown it, would this have gotten half of the press it's gotten if it weren't ‘the gay cowboy movie’?

It's was “R” rated which is well above the age range for these kids, homo or hetero centered love story. My school was still making us watch the original Herbie the Love Bug at age 12.

some schools have teachers run everything by them, including what movies they can watch during class, college its different, we watched pulp fiction for my one art class. I remember watching schindler's list in middle school and we had to get parent permission slips to watch it. thats what the teacher should have done

but making the kids watch this movie without future notice its just a bad bad move by her…she deserves to get her teaching license taken away

Yeah, that kind of thing should have been run by several different authorities before it ever got close to being shown to kids that age.

I can't see what all the hubbub was about “brokeback”. It was a pretty generic love story that we'd seen a thousand times…


..oh right, gay cowboys

Admittadly there WAS simulated sex… That could have been an issue.

I'm not too bothered about the gay thing, but as it was “R” Rated, permission should have been gotten. Personally I just found the film dull… but that was just me…

$400000? Fuck off….

StayinPuft
$400000? f*ck off….

A fantastic contribution to the subject as always, StayinPuft. (*janine)

Hopefully the teacher's got suspended and no charges have been brought against the unknowning school board… We've really got to get rid of this idea that everyone's to blame for something.

Kingpin

The plaintiffs accuse Diaz, Buford and the Chicago Board of Education of negligence, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit claims Jessica continues to suffer from emotional distress caused by watching the film and is currently undergoing psychological treatment and counseling.

How is this the Principal or Chicago School Board's fault? Sure, they hired the teacher but what from reading that small snippet, they could hardly be held responsible for what she did. Blame lies with the teacher, not the board… at least until anything else comes out of this.

That said, whilst it's unfortunate that children under the classification range for the film were shown it, would this have gotten half of the press it's gotten if it weren't ‘the gay cowboy movie’?

They said in the article supposedly the principle knew they where showing it.