The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Plastic human fetus dolls - soft, in pink and brown, and about 4 inches long - have been handed out at Oakwood Elementary School by an employee who was put on administrative leave Thursday over the situation.
The dolls, which were distributed over weeks or months, are not authorized by the division as instructional materials, spokeswoman Elizabeth Thiel Mather said Thursday. Mather said the employee will remain on leave until school officials investigate the reports.
Oakwood Principal Sheila Tillett Holas was put on leave today, Thiel Mather said. The division began its investigation after The Pilot asked school leaders this week about the fetus dolls.
The distribution of the life-like forms among grade school children shocked and repelled some parents and teachers and School Board members who discussed them in a closed meeting this week.
"It is hard to imagine that we would have an employee who believes it would be appropriate to share plastic fetus dolls with students in one of our schools," School Board Chairman Stephen Tonelson said Thursday.
An Oakwood teacher told The Pilot that the "squooshy" dolls had been given to students in the third, fourth and fifth grades over several months. The teacher, who asked for anonymity to avoid retaliation from the school for speaking out, said several parents and staff were upset.
The teacher said that attached to the dolls was a card with a "pro-life" message and information on fetal growth.
Board member Kirk Houston Sr. said he examined one of the dolls. "Very life like, and it's a pro-life tool," he said. "To be quite honest, that is so incredible to me, that a staff member would do something so ... entirely inappropriate and unacceptable." He said board members "were all pretty dumbfounded."
Board member Billy Cook said: "The administration has to look at that. That's obviously inappropriate."
An Oakwood parent said her fourth-grade daughter recounted getting one of the dolls from a school employee who handed them out to students during lunch time.
"She comes home with a fetus and says, 'Mommy, look what I got!' and I said, "Where did you get that and why?' It's disturbing to see," said the parent. She asked not to be named so that her daughter wouldn't be vulnerable to retribution at school.
The card accompanying the doll described the first 12 weeks of fetal development, she said.
"As a parent, I choose to teach my children about those things later in life," she added. "I did not sign a waiver for my daughter to be given a fetus."
Last month in New Mexico, the Roswell Independent School District stopped Christian high schoolers who distributed 3,500 plastic fetus dolls on four school campuses. The dolls were confiscated by school authorities.
In 2003, an anti-abortion Virginia legislator, Del. Richard Black of Loudoun County, outraged several state senators by sending them pink plastic fetus dolls as the General Assembly was considering bills on abortion.
Milton N. Greene, Oakwood's PTA president, said he hadn't seen the figures but that another parent told him it was not a fetus - but rather a doll used to show kids how big they are at birth.
Oakwood school manager Laurie Jones said Principal Sheila Tillett Holas declined to be interviewed.
Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
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Fact, not propaganda
The doll is not necessarily a pro-life tool. I have one of these dolls. You are REALLY jumping the gun here, people.
The card says, "Some people think that my life began at birth; but my life's journey began long before I was born." On the back it has facts about development up to the 12th week. I lost the card that goes with mine, but it gives facts like, "You can hear my heart beat," "You can now see that I have ten fingers and ten toes," and things like that.
It is a teaching tool, and it teaches human development. In fact, it is something you have to learn if you want to be a teacher someday. It is NOT religious or ideological propaganda as so many of you are insisting that it is.
For those arguing about how pro-lifers would feel if abortion was taught in class, if they actually taught what an abortion does, I would be thrilled. However, no one in a public school will tell you what goes on in an abortion. How it is performed, what instruments are used, the fact that the fetus/embryo tries to escape the instruments, but few have been so lucky. That the abortionist has to count parts to make sure that nothing is left behind so that infection/gangrene doesn't set in. That
WOW...
This is disgusting. Completely inappropriate, I am speechless. This is completely out of line for a tax-funding school to be indoctrinating. Unbelievable.
All of you going on about "its science!" bs, it is NOT science! How would you feel about the science of abortion being presented? These school staffers are trying to create some deep-seated emotional connection between tiny fetus doll and child, in hopes that 10 years down the road they will adopt their fundamentalist points of view. That is not their place, and this is NOT a theocracy. I cannot believe the wall. "We should adopt an American Shariah" really? REALLY? Are you CRAZY?! Yes. Yes you are. I don't even have to ask. Wow....
Everybody's religious.
Everybody's religious. Everyone has to make moral decisions. Everyone has a standard that they use to make these decisions. In other words, everyone has their own bible. The people in this country used to be on one accord as to which bible or standard would be used. Now, we've adopted the position that any bible/standard is valid, except one. Guess which bible that is and look at what the cost has been? Look at the humanistic indoctrination that our children are exposed to now in the public schools. Humanists have no problem with being theocrats and cramming their morality down the throat of others. Then they turn around and cry foul when someone breaks out the word of God. Truly, amazing.
Theocracy? This article titled, "Who Owns Your Kids?", shows how humanistic judges ruled that parents have no say on what their 7 year-old children will be exposed to in public schools: http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47638
Not Science? Check the definition.
The Definition of Science, as found on freedictionary.com:
science (sns)
The investigation of natural phenomena through observation, theoretical explanation, and experimentation, or the knowledge produced by such investigation. Science makes use of the scientific method, which includes the careful observation of natural phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis, the conducting of one or more experiments to test the hypothesis, and the drawing of a conclusion that confirms or modifies the hypothesis.
Your statement that observing the human being in its pre-born state (or at any other stage) is NOT SCIENCE is an ignorant one. The study of human life is AMORAL. Abortion, on the other hand, is an ACTION that carries serious moral, philosophical, religious, etc connotations. It is not an appropriate subject matter to study in elementary school. Are there scientific aspects to the act of abortion? Of course! Many things in our world can be studied scientifically. Not all of them are deemed appropriate at the elementary level.
I stand by my argument that the study of the development of a human being IS SCIENCE and IS ACCEPTABLE as an elementary subject matter. Historically,
Define Propaganda
This wasn't a science lesson- this was outside of the curriculum and was clearly distributed with an alternative agenda. Furthermore, it was done so in a manner intended to circumvent both school officials and parents, which is just awful. This person should be dismissed for those methods alone. Think about it- the dolls and cards are the only things that are known; there are potentially more incidents to be uncovered.
Propaganda: Ideas, facts or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause, or to damage an opposing cause.
school children and fetal models
This is the 21st century. Thank goodness scores of elementary school children have ultrasound pictures of themselves in the fetal stage. Their parents have shown them these pictures. A plastic model of an unborn baby is no big deal to them. They're probably wondering what all the fuss is about and why some "grown-ups" are boo-hooing like babies because some nice person gave them a little doll.
If teachers had to get approval for every tool they use to help them get a concept across to students one of 2 things could happen: a. scores of people would have to be hired to do the approving/disapproving b. teachers would find the process so burdensome they just wouldn't bother bringing in unapproved teaching aids. In the end the losers would be the children.
Fetus Dolls at Oakwood
The dolls is really not the issue, but rather someone imposing their views about pro-choice or por-life on the minds of elelemtary age children. Yes, parents may show children photos of themselves when they are invetro, but it is not up to public school educators to discuss these matters with their students; that is a subject for parents. Teachers have enough information to teach without the burden of political views in the mix. Let's not get it twisted by making light of this matter. This is absolutely unacceptable. Character Eduction is taught in the schools-issues of truth, fairness, sharing, honesty. This is the extent of what public schools should address. Meeting the state standards in 180 days is enough of a burden on teachers. Let's not put any additional responsibility on their plates. School principals should remember that these buildings do not belong to them, but to the tax payers in Norfolk, so they can't just do what they want. Hats off to the person who had the guts to bring this to light!
How low we have stooped...
Aren't we so concerned about little children that we refuse to hand out dolls of little human babies but we sure don't mind butchering them. This is exactly why this nation is suffering and has become like Sodom and Gomorrah, read Hosea 2:8-10. Abortion is no different in God's eyes than Baal worship. What if you were that human baby being aborted would you like it being torn apart limb by limb? We have become so grossly immoral that we cannot see this as evil and those who do are being silenced exactly what Noah's generation and Sodom's residents did. This is how you tell if you are in the last days. But now what will America do as our judgements get more severe turn to God or rebel even more? Remember we all have that inescapable date with Deity, you don't have to necessarily believe it but that won't change the truth. In schools today God is shoved out on the sidewalk and the teaching we are descendants from apes is in. If one believes he is a descendant of an ape, guess what he is going to act like one.
@forcommonsenses non sensible comments
whoa ok judging from you comments your about 500 years behind the average social norm there. tell ya what how about we put all our sins onto a goat and march it out into the desert while chanting to the Maccarina for ya? will this appease the never happy/abusive father figure of the sky you have adopted?
P.S, Could you plse take your delusional bigotry to some remote island away from the advancement of scientific technology as the rest of the enlightened world would like live without the fear that some mentally unstable, end game wanting, appease the voices in my head crazy is going to kill everyone around them simply to secure a place in super fun unhappy time afterlife world.
P.P.S Saying you are a descendent of an ape is like saying your a descended of your cousin, tho gathering from your intellect you probably are.
From a picture I saw in a
From a picture I saw in a related article it seems like the doll is intended to explain that life starts before fetus level. That's factually true. Even if the purpose was to encourage not getting an abortion, what's wrong with that? Raise your hand if you're in favor of abortion. You're either for it or against it. None of this "choice" diversion. You either support taking innocent human life or you don't. If you thumbs-down this you're just in denial.