Education

New Online Library Program in Tampa Bay Elementary Schools Includes Gruesome Content

While many Americans love TV shows depicting the gruesome ins-and-outs of crime fighting, such as “Law and Order” or “Dexter,” there seems to be one overriding consensus about the content features on those shows – it’s not for kids. So imagine the shock of some Tampa Bay parents when their children came home spouting details about murder, and with ready access to autopsy photos.

According to Tampa Bay Online, the culprit for this mass epidemic of children being exposed to highly adult material is a website called myOn, which purports to offer a “virtual library” experience in lieu of a visit to a physical library. Along with offering books or information, myOn includes navigational tools that students can use to browse by interest. So far, so harmless, but the absence of a filtering mechanism which can keep kids away from age-inappropriate material has some parents crying foul. After all, one wouldn’t want a seven-year-old who just wanted to look up technology learning instead about autopsy procedure, and being privy to grisly photos involved in the subject.

As one parent put it, “Are we teaching our children to be medical examiners in elementary school? I don’t think so.”

The response of school district officials has been, understandably, somewhat mixed. Some teachers cite concerns about intellectual freedom, and point out that some children want to dissect a frog at early ages, so dissecting a human corpse might not be that far off. Others defend myOn for offering the same information that would be available in your standard order public library, just with fewer of the natural barriers to entry involved in such places. Still others admit that the content is inappropriate for children, but are uneasy about how to go about the process of censoring the material:

“I don’t want this to outweigh the positive information here,” one teacher said. “And that’s that 2,200 titles are in the homes of Hillsborough County school kids. These include houses that don’t have many books now.”

Tampa Bay Online also quotes myOn officials, who defend the product by pointing out that much of the material does come with grade level guidelines.

Comments (27)

  • MrObvious
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 9:51pm

    I think, perhaps, their sorting algorithm could use some tweaks.
    Popularity by age group – tied to age of student logging in – would probably have avoided the issue; as, the article would have wound up buried, under a mountain of more popular search results.

    Report Post »  
  • jackact
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 1:45pm

    What…..a video of opening day at the Rays stadium.
    Now that is gruesome!
    Astro turf and financial redistribution.

    Report Post »  
  • usmc1063
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 9:19am

    This has just become another way of deading the senses and the sensablity of our young. The same as graffic games and some forms of so called music does. Violence has become a way of life in our society. The more exposure lessens the the emotional responce and people begin to look upon the gruesome as no big deal. But what I find most appaling are the educators that view this as no big deal. To them all it means it’s a better them than me outcome to a tragic situtation. All they tend to do is hide it under a guise of being a learning experence. Which in turn hardens the heart and soul and can be used in future ventures. The Germans used this to a point of controling the minds of German youth during and before the Second World War. It was so sucessful that many of these same children turned over the parents to the Gestapo when they spoke out the powers to be. They knew that their parents would meet death in any number of horrible ways but tho them it was no big deal. Just remember when you can control the mind you can control the person behind it. Thats when society becomes very dangerous.

    Report Post » usmc1063  
  • TEARS FOR AMERICA
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 7:06am

    Autopsies are looking at dead people and should NOT be handled by any children or teens…when they are in college and studying that field, yes. To get a diet of unclothed dead will absolutely lead to darker things in their lives. Whatever goes in WILL come out. These parents need to raise a stink.

    Report Post » TEARS FOR AMERICA  
    • Turtleman
      Posted on April 19, 2012 at 6:46pm

      Tears for America…You are absolutely right. The problem is parents can’t seem to understand that the insane are running the asylum. I get disgusting posts on facebook all the time about how awful Mrs. Romney stayed home with her kids and parroting the left’s crap. Well, I tell my daughters that noone will care for your children as you do. Stay home and raise decent human beings if at all possible. What is more important than one’s child. Is a newer car, McMansion in the burbs,going out to fancy dinners, any material “thing” more important than our children. We are abdicating our responsibilities to the government. Let’s not forget who runs our schools.

      Report Post »  
  • Stoic one
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 5:36am

    I think these schools are forgetting that until you are EIGHTEEN parents are responsible and liable for the actions of their children. This means children do not have rights, the parents do.

    So if the school personnel are going to usurp these parental rights, are they going to individually assume the responsibility and liability of said children?

    Report Post » Stoic one  
    • lukerw
      Posted on April 19, 2012 at 7:53am

      Do not assume that… Socialists speak the same language as you. The Intellectual views… Rights & Responsibilities as an Illusions… and you as an Animal… where they want teach you new tricks… and where they will direct your life.

      Report Post » lukerw  
  • ContinentalArmy
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 2:42am

    So much for Posting on the Biased Blaze!

    Report Post »  
    • Stoic one
      Posted on April 19, 2012 at 5:41am

      Take a deep breath…..
      There..now another one….

      post your comment, go read another story, and then come back to read you profound comments. this is what i do in my ego-maniacal studio here in the greater Cincinnati area.

      Report Post » Stoic one  
    • MrObvious
      Posted on April 19, 2012 at 9:48pm

      lol – lack of instant feedback is not censorship

      Report Post »  
  • ContinentalArmy
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 2:41am

    The Blaze Strikes Again with Censorship!!!

    Report Post »  
    • Stoic one
      Posted on April 19, 2012 at 6:30am

      Characters Remaining: 1500Share comment on:
      Cancel Reply Reply
      Your comment may take a few minutes to appear on the site.
      « Back to The Blaze

      this is the text below the box you type in; note the passage of time reference.

      Report Post » Stoic one  
  • ContinentalArmy
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 2:36am

    Its just downright Communism. Re-Education for Obama‘s Social Citizen’s! Stop The B.S. NOW!!! All The Schools and Most of the Teachers ARE SICK Individuals!! They Need Immediate Removal!!

    Report Post »  
    • Gorp
      Posted on April 19, 2012 at 3:10am

      Is this the comment you were complaining about not being published? If so there are times when it takes a while to get on the site comments. That’s just how it works sometimes. Get over it.

      Report Post » Gorp  
  • Gloria
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 2:14am

    I think there is a larger issue here: Why are these kids left to peruse the internet at school unattended? Why are there no teachers/aides/paras there supervising them when they are on the computers, making sure they are looking at whatever it is they are supposed to be?

    Report Post » Gloria  
    • pamela kay
      Posted on April 19, 2012 at 2:50am

      Good point. Teachers are no more than progressives puppets these days. God help our children.

      Report Post » pamela kay  
    • HorseCrazy
      Posted on April 19, 2012 at 10:31am

      the teachers are awful these days. there is no care anymore. they are overpaid babysitters. there are so many good teachers…who have left for private school.

      Report Post »  
  • grandmaclown
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 1:07am

    The homes don’t have many books, but they can all afford computers? Of course, the taxpayers are probably paying for the computers and the online service.
    Our country is SICK! Why don’t we let our kids be kid? I took my grandchildren to the library and we actually checked out age appropriate books.

    Report Post »  
  • AxelPhantom
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 1:04am

    In third grade I used to sneak back into the “adult” section of the library and spent the hours between school and my parents picking me up memorizing the diagrams in medical anatomy books; they fascinated me. Yes occasionally there were pictures of Cadavers. It was never out of morbidity that I did that, I just found it a lot more interesting than Old Yeller, it was fun to memorize and learn. A lot of kids like me grow up to go into the medical field.

    My 2nd grader brings in baggies of wild animal bones (clean and sun bleached out by that point) and asks me to help her identify them (done with latex gloves btw).

    Two years ago (she was 6) when our dog came in ripped open and gushing blood after a coyote attack she was my “surgical nurse” and helped me stop the bleeding, pack the wound and take the dog in for surgery. I kept telling her to go away but my attention was on the dog. All the time she was asking me what “part” that was called and wanted to help. She loves animals and wants to be a vet.

    Kids come in all different stripes. In what one finds “gross” or “disturbing” another finds a life long career.

    Report Post »  
  • whatthecrazy
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 12:54am

    Is there no stone that they have left unturned ?Crap they are busy little beavers destroying every thing in sight.They have litterly covered us from cradle to grave with abortions to death panels.Wow we not only owe our children an apology but we owe our men and women both present and past in our military an apology for letting these administrations send our families to God forsaken holes to be slaughtered and maimed, for what? Bring our families home……………….

    Report Post »  
  • trueamerican40
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 12:31am

    Hitler desensitized german children for his cause. Obama’s regime is doing the same–only teaching them to be lazy, afraid, fiscally irresponsible, immoral, and entitlement-minded. God I pray for this country…it’s only getting worse.

    Report Post » trueamerican40  
  • CatB
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 12:05am

    Tampa is turning into a he!! hole … Muslims are going to make it the next Dearborn and NBP in Tampa are crazy absolutely INSANE !! …. I am south of there .. but starting to wonder if I am far enough south.

    http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=1577134

    Report Post »  
  • scuba13
    Posted on April 19, 2012 at 12:04am

    They used to show all the kids those old films “ Death on the highways” about DUI and they used actual car crash footage to tell the dangers of driving drunk. Some of those scenes were pretty gruesome too.

    Report Post » scuba13  
    • inblack
      Posted on April 19, 2012 at 12:11am

      Elementary school usually refers to grades K through 6th.

      I think if you work your way back to the old days you might realize that those driving school movies happened in high-school not elementary school.

      Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on April 18, 2012 at 11:54pm

    Personally I see this as more and more Progressive programing of our kids to desensitise them for the violence to come if Obama holds onto power.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  

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