Dist. 200 still grappling with movie policy

R-rated film clips are back, at least in policy, in Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200's high schools.

Whether teachers will ever show such clips is another matter.

District staff say teachers need more training on how to justify linking the clips to the curriculum.

That ties back to lingering concerns from some parents and at least one school board member who believe the value of the clips is negated by decency concerns.

"If it just was a rule that we didn't show R-rated movies, teachers would find other things," said board member Joann Coghill during a recent meeting. "I'm struggling with the idea that we're showing R-rated movies. It's something that doesn't sound right."

Several parents have publicly agreed with that sentiment. Even the new requirement that parents sign an opt-in permission form has received criticism.

"I am not a fan of either opting in or opting out," parent Janine Ford said. "It excludes students from the classroom."

Ford's idea was to ban R-rated films from classrooms and make them weekend assignments so parents can watch with their children.

To be clear, district staff said entire films are never shown, just clips, and "scrubbed" clips at that.

That poses another obstacle.

District staff said "scrubbed" copies of films, in which profanity is edited out or down to a PG-13 level, are getting tougher to find.

Part of that difficulty may stem from companies offering scrubbed versions not getting copyright or other legal permission from movie studios.

Copyright issues also is a problem District 200 teachers face.

District attorneys are researching the copyright issues associated with showing the film clips to a classroom audience. Teachers then will need education about how to address the legal issues before showing the films.

All the obstacles have led to one reality thus far. No R-rated film clips have received approval to be shown in District 200 classes this year.