A high school class’s request to go see the critically acclaimed, PG-13 rated movie, “Selma,” based on Martin Luther King’s crusade for civil rights in Alabama, was turned down by the school superintendent, Hugh Taylor.
The DeKalb County, Alabama superintendent expressed his concerns of language in the film that could be offensive to those in the audience. Taylor’s decision was based on the recommendation he got from “Kids in Mind,” the apparent go-to place for over-bearing parents. Taylor said, “I understand the movie has a lot of historical value.
The request was denied based on language. [The website] told me there were about two F-words in that movie, which I presume may mean more.” He went on to say, “I deemed this movie in particular inappropriate and that’s my job as the head of the school system to make those decisions.” DeKalb County School has a diverse student body; his actions left some of the students and parents doubting that language was Taylor’s only motive.
Taylor, a father of four, none of which attend public school, was elected DeKalb County school superintendent in 2013. What does it say about a school when the school’s own superintendent sends his kids somewhere else for their education?