Local parents are outraged that students from two high schools allegedly watched or listened to the graphic beheading of an American in Iraq while in class under the supervision of teachers.
IMAGES: Nick Berg In Captivity
IMAGES:Iraqi Prisoners Humiliated
Two teachers in the Grossmont Union High School District have been taken out of their classrooms for allegedly allowing students to see images of the actual decapitation.
A full investigation by the district is under way, said school officials.
Kristi Sarff, the parent of a high-school student, said she found it unacceptable that the students would be shown American hostage Nick Berg's decapitation.
"I would be appalled if I found out he was in a classroom and saw that," said Sarff. "It's one thing in the privacy of your home, but it's not something a public school should be showing."
The two teachers, one from Grossmont High School and one from El Capitan High School, are on administrative leave for allegedly allowing students to see graphic images of the decapitation.
Off-camera, a student at Grossmont High told NBC 7/39 that his social-sciences teacher played an audiotape of Berg screaming, and then the teacher allegedly showed two still pictures of video -- of images of Berg immediately before and after the decaptitation.
"If these allegations are true, I'm outraged," said district Superintendent Terry Ryan (pictured, right). "I'm not going to tolerate it, nor is our board going to tolerate it."
School officials are talking to attorneys to determine what, if any, action will be taken -- or can be taken against the teachers, but Ryan did not mince words.
"I have absolutely no idea what their thinking would be, because it's totally beyond the acceptability of what my thinking or thoughts are or the board's thinking or thoughts are," said Ryan. "It's totally not acceptable."
At El Capitan High, the images were allegedly shown Thursday in an art and photography classroom. A school official said that the teacher then reportedly told students, "That's why we shouldn't be at war."
Some educators, including Susan Edwards, a substitute teacher, said showing the pictures may be appropriate under certain circumstances.
"Under certain circumstances, yes, because that's the world we live in, and we can't hide our head in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist," said Edwards.
Ryan spent most of Friday afternoon behind closed doors, meeting with the teachers, lawyers and the president of the local Teachers' Association.
Meanwhile, an e-mail was sent out to teachers in the district that said, in part, "Do not, under any circumstances, download or otherwise use video, voice or other images of the beheading."
A psychologist with whom NBC 7/39 spoke said that -- if the allegations are true about the teachers showing the students the decapitation -- then the teachers made a grave mistake that could do long-term harm.
"It's psychologically naïve because, what's the effect of showing this to the kids?" said Dr. Michael Lardon, of the Alvarado Parkway Institute. "I really can't think of any positive, beneficial thing in terms of showing these types of traumatic images to our children."
Lardon told NBC 7/39 that developing minds are unprepared to handle these types of images, making the chance of secondary post-traumatic stress syndrome a very real possibility.
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Beheading Video At School?
