Some students were “seriously affected” by the movie.
A school in Florida, United States, has come under fire after a mathematics teacher showed a horror movie to fourth graders which left them traumatised, as per a report in the New York Post. The students were expecting to have a fun day at school, however, it turned out to be horrifying as they witnessed “one of the most lovable characters turn into a murderous savage”.
On Monday, October 2, a class at the Academy of Innovative Education in Miami Springs watched the horror movie ‘Winnie the Pooh: Honey and Blood’ for about thirty minutes until it was turned off due to complaints from a few of the kids, the outlet said. As per IMDB, the horror film revolves around the characters of Pooh and Piglet seeking revenge after Christopher Robin leaves to go to university. IMDB has rated the movie 2.9 out of 10. Further, it is listed as an 18 by the British Board of Film Classification, while it is supposedly classified as NR in the US, indicating that it is not rated.
Michelle Diaz, the mother of a student at the school, told CBS News that the teacher was “careless” with his students. After meeting with the school’s principal, she said, “I feel completely abandoned by the school. They were exposed 20 to 30 minutes to a movie called ‘Winnie the Pooh, Honey and Blood’.He didn’t stop the movie, even though there were kids saying, ‘Hey, stop the movie, we don’t want to watch this’”.
Ms Diaz claimed that the teacher did not stop the movie despite the fact that some scenes made students evidently uncomfortable. She added that some students were “seriously affected” by the same. “It’s not for them to decide what they want to. It’s up to the professor to look at the content,” she told CBS News.
The Head of School Vera Hirsch, in a statement to the outlet, said, “The Academy for Innovative Education has become aware that a segment of a horror movie was shown to fourth graders, Monday, October 2, 2023, that was not suitable for the age group. Our administration promptly addressed this issue directly with the teacher and has taken appropriate action to ensure the safety and well-being of students.”
She added, “We are actively monitoring the students and our mental health counselor and principal have already met with those students who have expressed concerns.”
