Just One?

Minooka Intermediate School is an elementary school in the greater Chicago-land area. Recently, a P.E. teacher was suspended after trying to motivate students for a jump-rope competition by playing music. One of the songs on the CD he used was, to put it mildly, inappropriate.

What follows is the online release of the story from the Herald News, and is dated March 2:

A physical education teacher at Minooka Intermediate School was trying to use music to motivate kids during a jump-rope fundraiser.

One of the songs wound up motivating a parent to anger.

During the school’s annual Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser, P.E. teacher Kyle Hasler had a CD mix of upbeat songs put together to play while the students did jump-rope activities. The song “I’m in Love With a Stripper,” by Gangsta Grillz mistakenly was added to the CD, Hasler said.

One fifth-grade student noticed the lyrics and reported it to her father. In the graphic version, mention is made of oral sex and pole dancing. A less explicit version is also available; it wasn’t clear which version played at school.

Parent Stacy Stark said he pulled up the song on the Internet and was appalled at the lyrics.

“I think it’s wrong, so wrong (to play the song in school),” Stark said. “It’s pretty hardcore.”

Stark spoke with Principal Harold King several times and to Hasler.

“That’s not the type of music I listen to,” said Hasler, a 17-year veteran with Minooka schools. “It was just a mistake. I was trying not to put on Lawrence Welk or Barney music. I try to do things so the kids can have fun. I regret that it was played in class and obviously it will not happen again.”

King stands behind the teacher, saying Hasler has a distinguished record working with young people. As well as Hasler’s district experience, King said, Hasler volunteers extensively in the community, including as a baseball coach.

King added that he can understand how Hasler didn’t notice the words right away because it’s hard to understand the lyrics of a lot of today’s songs. The music was put together by someone else, and Hasler didn’t listen to it before he played it in class.

No one else contacted the school about the song.

King said from now on all music will be screened by the music department before being allowed in the classroom.

“We are taking this step so it won’t ever happen again,” said King.

The Jump Rope for Heart program at the school raised more than $3,000 for the American Heart Association.

There are a lot of things about this story that are curious. Most obviously, why did the teacher think he had to use music like this to motivate the young people and, if he felt that way, why didn’t he review the CD?

But the part that really stood out to me when I read this story was that just one parent complained! Was there only one child to thought this song was wrong? Was there only one parent who thought something didn’t seem right about this? Notice the line again: “No one else contacted the school about the song.”

Parents, your children love to be entertained, and there is nothing wrong with entertainment, but they need to find wholesome entertainment. Are you checking in on what they are playing on their CD players and iPods? Are you checking their internet history? Do you let them see any movie they want?

Be honest, parents. If this happened in your hometown, would you have complained? Answering that question honestly will tell you a lot about yourself.