KHOU-11 news reported yesterday that Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston, Texas canceled a field trip to see a production of “James and the Giant Peach” at Houston’s Main Street Theater.
Many teachers are familiar with Roald Dahl’s classic story of a boy named James who finds a magical peach. So why did the district cancel the field trip? Was inclement weather to blame? A transportation strike? A decision to prioritize standardized test prep over the fine arts? No. The decision was made after parents raised concerns that some actors play both male and female roles.
Parents of Spring Branch ISD students were sent this communication on Thursday: “We received feedback from employees and other adults who attended Main Street Theater’s production of James and the Giant Peach that expressed concern over elements of the performance that were not age-appropriate for elementary students.
Based on the concerns we heard, the decision was made to request campuses planning to attend make alternative arrangements. My responsibility is to ensure that the content students are exposed to during school hours is age appropriate.
Given the information we had, the decision was made to err on the side of caution. Please understand these decisions are not always easy to make and are always done in the best interest of our students.”
We have… questions. Who are “and other adults”? Why might a district not want to mention that parents—like parent Jessica Gerland who openly talked to news station KHOU—were behind this decision?
Why not be clear about what elements of the performance weren’t age-appropriate? Might it be embarrassing to admit that you canceled a field trip because of make-believe? Or did you know full well it would open the district up to criticism it wasn’t prepared to defend?
Also, if a boy playing a girl’s part forced you to “err on the side of caution,” what else are you willing to abandon in the name of caution? Should we allow high school students to play sports or drive to school? Should we turn off all electronics in school buildings when it rains? Should we even teach kids how to read if the threat of what they could learn in books is so catastrophic?
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