Teaching SBS Prevention Education in Schools: Speed Bump at the Churchville-Chili Middle School

Churchville-Chili Student Says Not Everyone Could Handle Shaken Baby Syndrome Lesson

• By: Mike Hedeen
• 06/20/2014 05:48 PM
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Rochester: Churchville-Chili Student Says Not Everyone Could Handle Shaken Baby Syndrome Lesson
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Statement from Churchville-Chili Schools

"The objective of the Family and Consumer Sciences class topic discussion is to teach students how delicate babies are and not to do anything that would intentionally harm them. After several interviews of students and other staff who were present in the classroom at the time of the Shaken Baby Syndrome lesson, it was apparent that these allegations were inaccurate. The district strives to provide classroom environments that are supportive during difficult discussions while preparing our students for life. Moving forward, we will include a counselor in the classroom during the discussion in the event that there are students who find the topic particularly emotional."

A class at Churchville-Chili Middle School intended to teach students the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome is drawing controversy, after a Facebook post by a parent questioning the subject matter took on a life of its own.
The school district has investigated, and said in a statement that the allegations are not accurate, but said in the future, a counselor will be on hand in the classroom during the lesson.
The class is Family and Consumer Sciences. It's designed to prepare students to become life ready.
Angelina Libardi took the class at the beginning of the school year. She the lesson included video of a man being arrested for shaking his child, then showing that child hospitalized and clinging to life, and that was a bit much to take.
After the video, Angelina says the teacher would draw names at random and invite students to shake a specially designed doll where the brain lights up to show injuries caused from shaking.
"When I was called, I didn't want to go up, it was uncomfortable. I was very upset after the video, it was very sad. Some people would shake it but they were weird about it, they weren't happy, it was upsetting to them,” said Angelina, a 7th grader.
It's believed the concerned parent's son was in the class last week. The parent then posted on Facebook that "some kids found this hilarious and beat the snot out of that baby, throwing it against the wall."
A blogger picked up on this and used the post with the headline "Middle School Kids Learn How to SHAKE BABIES UNTIL THEY DIE."
Angelina believes this topic may be too advanced for 7th graders.
"There's some people in my grade that aren't as mature, can't take it as much. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe they're not as grown up and don't understand it as much."

- See more at: http://rochester.twcnews.com/content/news/746620/churchville-chili-student-says-not-everyone-could-handle-shaken-baby-syndrome-lesson/#sthash.4z7jhUsD.dpuf

Churchville-Chili Student Says Not Everyone Could Handle Shaken Baby Syndrome Lesson

• By: Mike Hedeen
• 06/20/2014 05:48 PM
• ShareThis Facebook Tweet Email
• Text size: + -

Rochester: Churchville-Chili Student Says Not Everyone Could Handle Shaken Baby Syndrome Lesson
Play now

Statement from Churchville-Chili Schools

"The objective of the Family and Consumer Sciences class topic discussion is to teach students how delicate babies are and not to do anything that would intentionally harm them. After several interviews of students and other staff who were present in the classroom at the time of the Shaken Baby Syndrome lesson, it was apparent that these allegations were inaccurate. The district strives to provide classroom environments that are supportive during difficult discussions while preparing our students for life. Moving forward, we will include a counselor in the classroom during the discussion in the event that there are students who find the topic particularly emotional."

A class at Churchville-Chili Middle School intended to teach students the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome is drawing controversy, after a Facebook post by a parent questioning the subject matter took on a life of its own.
The school district has investigated, and said in a statement that the allegations are not accurate, but said in the future, a counselor will be on hand in the classroom during the lesson.
The class is Family and Consumer Sciences. It's designed to prepare students to become life ready.
Angelina Libardi took the class at the beginning of the school year. She the lesson included video of a man being arrested for shaking his child, then showing that child hospitalized and clinging to life, and that was a bit much to take.
After the video, Angelina says the teacher would draw names at random and invite students to shake a specially designed doll where the brain lights up to show injuries caused from shaking.
"When I was called, I didn't want to go up, it was uncomfortable. I was very upset after the video, it was very sad. Some people would shake it but they were weird about it, they weren't happy, it was upsetting to them,” said Angelina, a 7th grader.
It's believed the concerned parent's son was in the class last week. The parent then posted on Facebook that "some kids found this hilarious and beat the snot out of that baby, throwing it against the wall."
A blogger picked up on this and used the post with the headline "Middle School Kids Learn How to SHAKE BABIES UNTIL THEY DIE."
Angelina believes this topic may be too advanced for 7th graders.
"There's some people in my grade that aren't as mature, can't take it as much. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe they're not as grown up and don't understand it as much."

- See more at: http://rochester.twcnews.com/content/news/746620/churchville-chili-student-says-not-everyone-could-handle-shaken-baby-syndrome-lesson/#sthash.4z7jhUsD.dpuf

A class at Churchville-Chili Middle School intended to teach students the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome is drawing controversy, after a Facebook post by a parent questioning the subject matter took on a life of its own.
The school district has investigated, and said in a statement that the allegations are not accurate, but said in the future, a counselor will be on hand in the classroom during the lesson.
The class is Family and Consumer Sciences. It's designed to prepare students to become life ready.
- See more at: http://rochester.twcnews.com/content/news/746620/churchville-chili-student-says-not-everyone-could-handle-shaken-baby-syndrome-lesson/#sthash.4z7jhUsD.dpuf

A class at Churchville-Chili Middle School intended to teach students the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome is drawing controversy, after a Facebook post by a parent questioning the subject matter took on a life of its own. 

The school district has investigated, and said in a statement that the allegations are not accurate, but said in the future, a counselor will be on hand in the classroom during the lesson. 

The class is Family and Consumer Sciences. It's designed to prepare students to become life ready.
- See more

Hard to tell if this is over-reaction on the part of a few students or a not fully thought through presentation on the part of the instructor ( and let me say that I've been to a few NYS FCS meetings and talked to several FCS classes, and the teachers I've met there are an amazing group of talented educators).

I was invited to talk to a sixth grade class at one of our middle schools.  When I asked how many of the kids were babysitting, it turned out about 10% were taking care of siblings under age 5, and some were caring for siblings as young as 1.  And almost none had taken any sort of babysitting class...

We didn't use a demo doll, but we did watch a video: the older version of Portrait of Promise, not the version with the more realistic computer animation.

It required some thinking on how to phrase things, but the kids seemed to get the point that bad things could happen if they lost their temper, and they needed to be prepared to cope with frustration.

Personally, I think the Baby Think It Over simulator dolls, which have a random crying mode that can last a half-hour, are more useful in teaching that lesson than the SBS simulator dolls.

Kids are caring for kids.  They need to know how to do it right.

Hope this school board doesn't do what many seems do when "controversy" strikes: take the easy way out and stop doing whatever it was that caused a complaint.

Teaching about SBS