HISD teacher shows fifth graders horror film in class

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Fifth grade students at an HISD school got a break from class to watch a movie, but what they saw has at least one mother angry and her son scared.

Houston ISD says the teacher made a mistake. The movie was shown this week at Shearn Elementary on Houston's south side.

'Insidious' looks like a freaky movie, even for adults. Entertainment Weekly calls it a haunted-house movie that has some of the "most shivery and indelible images in any horror film in decades."

Rated PG-13, parents are "strongly cautioned" against their children watching it.

"I couldn't believe what he was telling me. From school -- he's in fifth grade," parent Mary Baker said.

So you can imagine Baker's horror when her 10-year-old son, Kyle, came home, saying he watched it at school.

"I think it was a very poor choice for a teacher that was educated. He knows better, and it affected my son horribly," Baker said.

Baker says a teacher at the school let her son's class -- a group of 10- and 11-year-olds -- choose between a funny and scary movie, and 'Insidious' was one of their options.

"He was physically sick," said Baker. "He was throwing up last night until almost midnight. Then got in my bed and ended up sleeping with me the rest of the night."

A spokesperson for HISD confirms the teacher showed the PG-13 movie in class without approval. They added that their policy is that "any film shown in class must be approved by the principal. As a result, the teacher will be reprimanded and an apology letter will be sent home to parents."

Other Shearn parents agree.

"Do you let your student watch horror films?" we asked parent Guadalupe Gil.

"No I don't," she said.

"So I wouldn't feel comfortable," parent Heather Mouton said.

The teacher made a mistake. Baker just hopes now he's learned his lesson.

"Kids are affected, they're affected. It affects them. The little things count - even movies," Baker said.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Alief ISD fifth graders learning to give back

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Some fifth-grade children in Alief ISD are getting a better view of the world by raising money to help others worldwide.

Even though 79 percent of the children at Chancellor Elementary School are socio-economically disadvantaged, they are already learning to give back. "We are about $100 away from our $3,000 goal," teacher Teresa Dola said. These fifth-graders aren't your ordinary kids. They're working to become global citizens. "We give people another chance to make their life better," student Nicoles Lepton said. Students in Dolan's class have been working to raise money to help entrepreneurs in other countries like Mexico, Vietnam, Jordan and even Iraq. They're working with the charity, Kiva, an organization that loans donated money globally to people starting businesses. The students pick recipients from the charity's website. "We read their stories and the ones we have a good, personal connection with, that we can related with, we just start giving it to them because we know how they feel," student Edison Huynh said. But they do their research, taking time to look at conditions in the country. Many in the class are children of immigrants, so they want to give back. Each child set a goal of raising $50 and they've worked to get it. "I've done helping hand tickets around my house, doing chores and taking up all the chores in the house," student Ayodeji Odole said. So far, they've raised $2,900 of their $3,000 goal. They've also made 15 loans. Mrs. Dolan says the project teaches the kids they can always help, and it's had an impact on them. "I think one of the greatest things of this project is to show it doesn't matter how old you are, where you come from, your economic background. Everyone can give, everyone has a way to change the world," Dolan said. "I feel like I'm really connected to the project and I feel like I'm a part of something now," student Daniel Karee said. By Tuesday afternoon, the students exceeded their donation goal with a car wash, reaching $3,200. They plan on raising money through the end of the school year. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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