Parent Appalled by 9/11 Lesson for Fourth Graders

"Teach Your Children Well."

We hope that our educators always have that in mind when they teach our children.

But educators in the Easton Area School District failed regarding how some children were taught about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America.

Yes, everyone in our country needs to know -- and never forget -- the brutal attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans, destroyed the World Trade Center towers in New York City and brought our country to its knees.

Sept. 11 will always be a day on which we should mourn the loss of life and remember the devastation that shook America to its core.

But do children who are 9 or 10 years old need to watch the horrific highlights of the attack: the smoldering towers, airplanes crashing into them and people jumping to their deaths?

That's what some children watched on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 in their classroom.

And that was a major mistake. Showing those images to children - as was done in a fourth-grade class in Shawnee Elementary School - was inexcusable.

And it was inappropriate.

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There's no need for children to see that suffering at such a young age.

And not only did they have to watch it; the students then had to write about what they saw and what it meant.

I saw what my son brought home. We were not pleased, even though he handled it well. We have explained the Sept. 11 attacks to him in a way we deemed appropriate.

But other children did not handle the lesson and its disturbing images so well. They cried in class and they had nightmares at home.

Many parents are upset about what happened but they are afraid to complain.

Sure, honoring heroes -- like firefighters, police officers and soldiers -- who rescue people and save lives is the right thing to do. Taking a moment of silence to remember those who died is the right thing to do.

Showing graphic video to a bunch of youngsters without parental consent is beyond comprehension. 

The Easton Area School District and leaders of Shawnee Elementary School owe students and parents an apology.

And they also owe us a promise: that they will teach our children well. And that they will never make a mistake like this again.