9/11 happened. It is now in the history books. It is now available, 24/7 on the internet. Perhaps showing such graphic images from that terrible day was inappropriate, however, these images and many,many more can be found simply be typing "9/11" in a computer's search engine. One way or another, children will learn of September 11,2001 and they WILL see graphic, horrible, heartbreaking images. This mother says 9/11 was explained to her child in "way we deemed appropriate". I have to wonder how she explained this tragedy - "some bad people crashed some airplanes"?
9/11 has given everyone nightmares, not just children. There are families who live the nightmare every single day, families who lost loved ones that awful day. Their nightmares will never truly end.
Her child and his classmates, 4th graders, will likely have forgotten what they saw in class or it is fading away as they move on in learning and playing. Yes, they will in all probability get similar lessons in school every September 11, but for them it is a history lesson. For those who were actually in NY, DC, PA or watched it all unfold, live on television they are the ones who will never be completely free of the nightmare.

What do you expect from a school district who still has "Nickle and Dimed" in the curriculum? If you agree or not it is time for parents to get involved in the school district, attend School Board Meetings and learn the subjects their children are learning.

Suppressing this lesson is just like suppressing Nickle and Dimed. Hiding the truth is only hurting your children. Wake up you dolt parents and realize that molly coddling is only making this country worse.

No one believes, more than i do, in teaching the truth, and in making sure children and adults know enough of history to take history into account when making decisions. But all teaching should be age-appropriate.

When you are teaching young children you need to show more caution. Chidren this age have the worst nightmeres about things under their bed and do not need anything else to distract them. There are cartoon versions on "brain pop" that do a wonderful job in explaining about 9/11 without the real life horror. I think anytime media is used parents should be given a 1 week heads up. That way the teacher can know who is allowed to see it in class. OR, just give the parents the website and let it up to them to show the students. These kids have PLENTY of years in which to view this mateial when they are older and can have the maturity to know that a plane is not flying into their house or school. ...at least the odds are against it.

I completely disagree with this article in every way possible except for the fact that parents should have been given some kind of notice before hand so that they would be aware of the special content and to be on guard for any special needs or questions. In this day and age in America the threat of terror is real and in some nations it is a daily occurrence. This country can no longer afford to shelter and pamper its people or its children from this fact. The less we know the more vulnerable we are as a whole. We can’t bury our heads in the sand and pretend the towers that use to hold our world trade offices never existed. This would be a gross injustice to the people of NYC who only live a mere hour from us. Our children should also be schooled in depth on the different socio political and religious issues that also brought terrorism to our door and the door of others. Our children in this country that does not lead in education needs more schooling not less!

Judy Z - What "different socio political and religious issues that also brought terrorism to our door" do you think those would be?

My 11 year old came home from school last week and openly discussed this with me, why? because she was scared, she has some issues with anxiety and sees someone on a regular basis to understand how to deal with certain feelings and issues and she told me she was upset when she came home, that she started to not be able to breathe right and she could feel herself getting very warm because the things she watched in a video, in the East Penn School District scared her...so yes, parents need to know that certain things are going to be viewed in school so we can discuss them with our kids. If I would have known this video was being shown, I would have spoken with my daughter first, and then taken it from there, even if it meant she stayed out of the class for the video.

Wake up and look around people. Like the kids get less of an impression from the crud on TV? Reality folks

I wonder if parents reacted in the same way when their children were shown news reels of the pearl harbor attacks in 1952. I think not, and that speaks volumes about our country today.

teach the children well THEIR FATHER'S HELL is how it goes...it happened and it is on TV and kids have to know the effects of war...they play violent games on the their DS and PS2

Obviously, those who agree with showing graphic newsreels of terrorism in a classroom situation either don't have children or are not very concerned about their well-being. There are more sensitive ways to present the events of 9/11 that are just as effective. Children are not short adults.

I think by 4th grade these kids have learned about 9/11 for 4 years in a row and can handle actual images from the events. I am certain that they all have seen them in passing on TV, as every year when the date comes close, these images are all over the news again. Internet, newspapers, tv shows and news. Don't think that your kids have never seen them and most of all, don't rely on school to be the only ones to explain them.
I have discussed the subject many times with my son and we've visited Ground Zero and the WTC memorial, many other children younger than 4th grade have.

I do think that the parents should have been advised of this plan to show footage before hand so they could speak up or not send their child in that day. Though not one parent should have expected to send their kid off to school on 9/11 without them hearing or learning something more about it. It is this countries history and the most recent one they will still feel the effects from in their lifetime.

I don't quite understand why parents would be afraid to speak up to the school if they were upset.

Sorry but I want to know how many of these parents allowed their children to watch the movie "the Hunger Games?" Violence is all over T.V. and the movies and I am appalled by how many childrren today, at a very young age, watch highly inappropriate images on T.V., movies and yes video games-what happened is history and if this is explained properly to the children I as a mother do not feel it is inappropriate-oh and by the way my children were not allowed to play violent video games or watch any violent T.V. or movies until they well well into their teenage years and could understand that what was happening on the screen was not real.

First off let me state that 9/11 will be our generations Pearl Harbor event, "a date that will live in infamie" . But what is worse is thet by not showing the children we are not ever going to expose them to the tradgedy of that day. At what age is it appropriate? And what visions are appropriate? These will always be the questions at hand. We need to STOP SUGAR COATING the TOUGH TIMES to our children. Gov. Rendell said it best in the title of his book. "A Generation of Woosies". we need to toughen up of soon we won't be able to do anything in schools without sending home a thousand permission slips a week to get "Mommy and Daddies permission" for fear of making their children feel Uncomfortable. Lets face it people Life IS Uncomfortable and the sooner we realize and accept that we can move on !!

Should schools stop teaching history? That is how some of these posts sound - "it's too terrible, too frightening, to be taught". It's history, recent history. Terrible, yes, frightening, of course, heartbreaking, definitely, but still recent history. I remember the day JFK was murdered, I remember the day MLK was murdered, I rememeber the Kent State killings, the Vietnam War, the Oklahoma City bombings. It was all horrible to hear about and to watch on television. But still, it was history, happening as the country and the world watched, Yes, for a child these things can be and are frightening. But instead of pitching a fit and blaming schools for teaching history, parents should take more time with their children - yes I said take more time with your kids - to listen to them, check their homework and lesson plans, see what they are learning, have discussions with your kids about whatever they want to talk about school, friends, whatever. But don't blame schools for doing what they are supposed to do - teach - history, geography, math, whatever. And don't try to tell me that your kids don't see violence, indifference, crime, depravity on television and that they don't play violent games on their computers or Xboxes and playstations. How many parents take their kids to movies like Batman, The Avengers, The Hunger Games - all rife with violence. The kids of this country are our hope and they need to know our history - warts and all.

I understand wanting to teach our children about 9/11, I'm all for it. I don't agree with the sugar coating comment. As someone stated earlier, children are not short adults. My twins are 11 but come across as older, even though they are mature & can converse intelligently with adults, they are still 11 emotionally. At times they are still afraid of the dark, they still want a nightlight so the hallway isn't so creepy, & they still call me when they need to get up to use the bathroom so I can 'stand guard' at the top of the stairs. I want my children to learn about 9/11 but I don't want them to see the faces of the people who jumped from the buildings & I certainly don't want them exposed to the sound of the bodies hitting the ground. There is no educational value in that. Right now they should be worrying about whether or not they're going to make jazz band or if so & so likes them. The images in their heads should be of baseball games & the new fashion at Justice, not someone jumping out of a building to their death. I think we do need to sugar coat when we deal with children until they are emotionally ready to handle reality.. I'm 41, I watched the horror in 2001 with the rest of the country and I can assure you that I have the same horrified, helpless feelings today that I did 11 years ago when I watched it live. You can't tell me that young children could see the images of someone leaping to their death & expect them to not be affected... I know that I still am.

@Jet... I agree with you! When I taught full time I had a sign in my office that some parents took offense to... it said 'Children don't need better teachers, they need better childhoods'. We take our twins everywhere with us, we are active in their school's PTO & band, we are coaches & officials for their baseball & swim teams, we were scout leaders for 5 years, we even would have our anniversary dinner at Chuck E Cheese so that we could all go out & have fun! We know when our children's tests are & when their homework is due, we don't allow our 11 year old twins to have Facebook or Twitter or cell phones, we are aware of what they are watching on tv & we know where they are going & what time they'll be back. Too many parents are not involved in their children's lives yet they are the first parents to complain if there is something that they don't like. I want my children to learn about 9/11, even though they were only 5 months old I don't want them to ever forget. I think that they should learn about what happened that day, I just want don't want them to see the hopelessness & total fear that is etched on the faces of those who jumped, I can't get it out of my mind & I'm 41.

This topic is one that is going to be pressed on and on in our society because of the horrible events that happened. And that's just it, these events DID happen. The suppression of education can not be done and coddling needs to end at some point. We live in a crewel world lead by horrible people in it for the money. People need to understand that despite how graphic the images of 9/11 are there are much more horrible things occurring on this planet on a daily basis. I was in first grade when these attacks happened and i saw it with my own eyes that day on the television. You can not tell me that a fourth grader can not handle the truth when we are told to morne the loss of others and the people that helped to right that wrong. If a child is told to pledge their allegiance to a flag, and told to have a moment of silence for lost heros, then they better know what they are pledging to and what they should be mournful for. The education of this event is critical so that maybe the next generation of leaders wont make the same mistakes the current one is.

There is NOTHING wrong with showing this to 4th graders. They are old enough to understand it and learn it. PERIOD! I have a 4th grade child and he knows all about this.

I was raised in the sixties and seventies and i enjoy talking to older people that were raised in the thirties, forties and fifties and i cant help but think that todays youth are shelterd and babied way to much. I know the world has changed and parents want to protect their kids and thats great but i think given the chance kids can handle a lot more then we think they can. I dont want to argue about at what age certain topics should be taught but we must teach history. If you want an eye opening experience ask a high school student what they know about world war two. Most of the time you will get a very short or inaccurate answer.

should be taught, this is reality, life and death, stop educating the children that everybosy wins no one gets hurt and life is full of rainbows and glitter

stop giving every kid on a team a trophy

the pussification of the united states is sickening

What is wrong with you parents of this generation?! This is history. This happened. No one should forget or NOT know of the tragedies of 9/11. It should NEVER be put LIGHTLY or taken lightly. Innocent lives were lost. People suffered, everyone. This is not something to be hush-hush about.

Images, videos and articles are everywhere on the internet what's the big deal showing this in school?

Young people can learn from this tragedy and love their country deeper. These "horrible" things DO happen and CAN happen and that's something even young people need to understand.

How can we stand and defend our own country and show patriotism if we don't teach truth to our children? How else can you lay out TRUTH??? Go to *happy land* and watch cartoons? Paint over Truth with white lies?

Protecting their fragile feelings is not going to make them better people. Life is REAL. So does 9/11.

People should never forget about World War II as well and should not shy away from the truth of the horrors of it.

This reaction is ridiculous.

Shame on you who feel this was inappropriate. This is HISTORY.

n America we can voice our personal opinion, negative or positive. The Easton area folks are doing that. If it were done in the W/C District, I would have to support the showing. History is History, Reality is Reality. Please remember that there are those individuals that are denying that what happened in the concentration camps of WWll never happened. There are no winners concerning the current incident. God Bless,

The topic of 9/11 and description of what happened should definitely be covered at some point. Perhaps 4th grade is a little too early - except if only superficially. I don't think my generation covered much of any war (except US Revolution as part of state history in 4th) in school until 8th grade - though we were saturated with Audey Murphy and John Wayne movies on TV, some of which were were both accurate and a bit gory. We don't need videos of people jumping off of buildings at any age or Shindlers List. Such detail is best handled at home on the history channel or the annual replay of actual 9/11 on NBC cable with some parental supervison.

I don't see anything wrong with showing students the 9-11footage. We watched Viet Nam, etc. I think these parents should grow up

I'm sorry I have not seen a video shown on news or in movies that has actually showed people jumping from the windows. Really people this is the real world and for our children we must be honest. This is history and at 11 yrs old you should be mature enough to understand that bad things do happen in the world. We were told in school when President Kennedy was shot, we seen the news from Vietnam .When are parents going to let their children grow up? Today's children might be intellectually smart,but as far as maturity way below.

Do we really have to keep looking at pictures of Chuckie Dent? Dent won his first election by promising $42,000.00 to local charities. Never paid a cent, no matter how much I remind him, but, that's Dent. Say anything, just to get elected ! -- Child Welfare Volunteer

P. S. If Dent was really concerned about jobs for Americans, he wouldn't have been a major promoter of NAFTA, & CAFTA, sending jobs to Mexico & Cental America.

It's a shame that a person can't voice their opinion without someone making it a personal attack. My personal opinion on whether or not I feel it's appropriate for my 11 year old children to see the faces of the people who jumped has nothing to do with 'growing up'. It has everything to do with whether or not I, as a parent, feel it's appropriate. I don't shield my children from negative things or from stories about 9/11 but I do feel that it is my responsibility to not expose them to the sound of bodies hitting the ground. My children are not in the Easton SD so I was only speaking on what occurred in our district & simply voicing my opinion that a letter should be sent home IF graphic pictures were to be shown. Thank you to The Truth for pointing out that it was a program created for children. I'm glad that there is something out there that explains it for children. As to the comment that we are disrespecting the people who died, I beg to differ. I don't recall anyone saying that the event should be sugar coated. I'm saying that as a parent I don't want my children to see people dying. Children lose their innocence at such a young age. When I taught full time I had students whose parents pimped them out at the age of 7 for drugs, I had a student who was blinded as a result of a drive by shooting & I had students who sat next to their parents as they OD'd on drugs. Please don't judge me or anyone else if we choose to keep our children innocent for a little bit longer.