Blogs:

Are you very impressed with Sean Penn’s Oscar winning role as Harvey Milk in the film Milk? If so, then you better be very careful. The Civil rights union may not like it you try to present a report in class about this film!

This is what is exactly happening with the Ramona School. The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego are threatening to sue the school after the school authorities asked a sixth-grade student that she could not present a report on the slain Gay rights activist, Harvey Milk to her class. The school authorities wanted the girl to have signed a permission letter from her parents that she would be presenting a report on this Film.

This is because the Natalie Jones’s choice of film did not suit the school board and the sex education policy they followed. Therefore, such topics require parental consent. 

But the child’s lawyer, David Blair-Loy stated in a letter to the district officials that the school had violated Natalie’s freedom of speech rights.

The 12-year old girl had done the project last month as a part of the independent research project class at the school. All students in the class were supposed to do a power point presentation for their reports.

The child chose the film for her project because she was highly impressed with its subject and plot. But a day before she could present it and discuss it in class, she was summoned by her principal that she would have to get a permission slip signed by her parents before she could carry on and present her project in class.

Sometimes the best of projects are not allowed because the school or parents don’t think they are right for the children. I feel they should be allowed as we should never undermine their abilities.