Tag Archive for: Collier County School Board

FLORIDA: Anti-American, Anti-Christian, Conspiracy Theory film ‘Zeitgeist’ shown to Public School Students

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There is a growing concern that public school students are being indoctrinated rather than taught to think independently. This concern is well founded in Collier County, Florida. The controversial film Zeitgeist: Moving Forward by Peter Joseph was shown to public school students during a World History course taught by Mr. Mike Cassio and other teachers in the Collier County Public Schools with the support of District staff.

According to Wikipedia:

Zeitgeist: The Movie is a 2007 film by Peter Joseph presenting a number of conspiracy theories. Zeitgeist blends skepticism, metaphysical spirituality, and conspiracy ideas.

The film disputes the historicity of Jesus (the Christ myth theory) and claims that the September 11th attacks in 2001 were pre-arranged by New World Order forces, and claims that bankers manipulate world events.

In Zeitgeist, it is claimed that the Federal Reserve was behind several wars and manipulates the American public for a One World Government or “New World Order”. The Zeitgeist film, according to writer Paul Constant, is “based solely on anecdotal evidence, it’s probably drawing more people into the Truth movement than anything else.”

A copy of emails from Collier County district officials and teachers shows that Zeitgeist was shown to students. Wendy Hodgson, the Coordinator of Social Studies and Character Education for Collier District Schools, states in a September 15, 2013 email to Tamera Hampton:

I wanted you to know that I watched this video [Zeitgeist] and found it well developed, calm, balanced, and historically accurate. As educators, part of our responsibility is to allow students a safe environment to consider alternate view points from the norm and I do know you intended for this outcome through the choice of an excerpt from Zeitgeist.

[ … ]

I spend too much time pacifying a political group in town who gets their news from Glenn Beck and his concerns about a book in Florida that has a “Whole Chapter on Islam.”

Here is the full film Zeitgeist which was shown to Florida public school students:

Doug Lewis, the parent of a student in Collier County School District wrote in an email:

The District has falsely denied that the documentary Zeitgeist was shown to students in the District.

It is beyond dispute that this documentary is factually inaccurate and controversial. Also, it clearly violates Policy Policy 2240 , which policy provides (in part) as follows: The School Board will permit the introduction and proper educational use of controversial issues provided that their use in the instructional program: A. is related to the instructional goals of the course of study and level of maturity of the students; B. does not tend to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view; C. encourages open-mindedness and is conducted in a spirit of scholarly inquiry.

Lewis notes, “As a parent of Collier County public school children, I have zero assurance that the District will not (going forward) prohibit this kind of factually inaccurate and controversial material in the classroom without prior parent notice and consent, with the student opportunity to opt out. Irrespective of whether an individual parent leans to the left or the right, all parents can unite and find concern with a District that fails to acknowledge the simple and easily verifiable fact that this video was shown, a District that fails to enforce and comply its current policy 2240, and a District that fails to communicate to the parent reporting the problem of action being taken to fix the reported problem.”

Collier County, FL: Climate Propaganda Video Shown to Students – Demands Action

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The Collier County School Board has drawn fire for showing the controversial film Disruption: A Call To Act On Climate Change.

Doug Lewis, a parent with a child in the Collier County public schools, wrote the School Board in an email dated May 27th, 2015:

I trust that you can appreciate my concerns as a father pertaining to the use of this [Disruption: A Call To Act On Climate Change] video that (in my opinion and by any fair measure) clearly tends to indoctrinate him and the viewers to a particular point of view.  It even goes beyond this by calling my son and other viewers to do three (3) specific things to act on the controversial issues presented in the video.

As you know, Policy 2240 provides that, “a controversial issue is a topic on which opposing points of view have been promulgated by responsible opinion or likely to arouse both support and opposition in the community.”

The video Disruption: A Call to Act on Climate Change (click on the following link to see the ENTIRE video for your-self (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQsIErJ7-yk), contains many controversial issues and was shown to my son (and I presume other Collier County public school students) without any prior parent notice or parent consent.

Collier County School Board Policy 2240 states:

“The School Board will permit the introduction and proper educational use of controversial issues provided that their use in the instructional program:  A.  is related to the instructional goals of the course of study and level of maturity of the students; B. does not tend to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view; C. encourages open-mindedness and is conducted in a spirit of scholarly inquiry. [Emphasis added]

After reviewing the controversial video Lewis noted:

For example, the issue of whether or not the Keystone XL pipeline should be supported is clearly a controversial issue under [School Board] Policy 2240.  Also, the issue of whether or not we should demand that our nation gets off fossil fuels now is clearly a controversial issue under [School Board] Policy 2240. However, the video attacks the Keystone XL pipeline and encourages its viewers (in this instance, Collier County public school children) to get to work and to get in the street and stand up and say “no more.”  Further, the video promotes the anti-fossil fuel social movement and calls for the globe to “get off fossil fuels now.” By any fair measure, this video tends to indoctrinate and persuade students to a particular point of view.

A significant contributor in the video is a man with known communist ties named Anthony Kapel “Van” Jones.  He is perhaps the last person that Collier County parents would want teaching their school children at taxpayer expense.  Mr. Van Jones is himself a controversial figure.

The video concludes with a demand for action from Collier County students.  Its viewers (in this instance, Collier County public school children) were asked to do three things:

  1. Here is what you can do right now…. “join the march www.peoplesclimate.org (by the way this organization is organizing for future marches and events of civil disobedience),
  2. Send a message to Text DISRUPT to 97779,
  3. and Share this video.

Lewis asks, “On what legal basis, can this School Board permit, at taxpayer expense, my son and Collier County children to be invited in the classroom and during the video to join this radical organization and participate in and facilitate civil disobedience/public protests on these controversial issues? In view of the foregoing and Policy 2240, on what basis did the School Board permit the introduction of this video containing many controversial issues?”

The Collier County School board was already in hot water for placing on their summer reading list pornographic reading materials. Now they are in hot water on global warming (no pun intended).

EDITORS NOTE: To date Mr. Lewis has not received a reply from the Collier County School Board on the showing of Disruption: A Call To Act On Climate Change. We will update this column as new information becomes available.