Some parents concerned about video shown at Duval County Schools

Jacksonville, FL — DCPS said the state requires lessons on mental and emotional health for students in grades 6 through 12.

Josh Trent, a father of four, said he believes one scene in this week’s video crossed the line.

“I was appalled. I was appalled that the district would’ve allowed such a context to be displayed,” Trent said.

The video focused on 10 signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships, including sabotage.

It was defined as when someone purposely ruins your reputation, achievements or success.

In the video, an animated cartoon character shows his friends a photo of food.

A female character says, “Aw, you’re showing them my foodie pics” and holds up a sign that says “That’s love.”

Seconds later, the cartoon character shows his friends another photo.

The girl replies, “What? You’re showing them my booty pics?” and holds up a sign that says “That’s not love.”

“The implication was that sending inappropriate photos was a norm for relationships,” Trent said. "That’s not good for the seniors in our district, let alone 11-year-old sixth graders."

Trent said he came across the video in a Facebook post by the district a few hours before it was shown at his daughter’s school. He pulled her out of class so she wouldn’t see it.

He sent an email to the district, saying in part, “At no point did the District’s video tell children that they should not be sending explicit photos. Instead, the District’s video showed children that this is a normal behavior in a relationship, and that the only negative was that he would share it behind her back. It’s a known fact that sending explicit photos of yourself as a minor, and subsequently sharing them with others, is illegal and considered to be child pornography. Why in the world would the District allow for such an implication to be made regarding romantic relationships to a group of middle schoolers?”

He showed Action News Jax a reply from the director of school behavioral health. She called it "a missed opportunity to delve into the legal implications."

She went on to say the January Wellness Wednesday middle school lesson “highlights internet/technological safety, and featured explicit instruction not to send inappropriate images and the legal consequences of those actions.”

“The last thing I want is for a child in this district to think that sending photos of themselves inappropriately is the right thing to do,” Trent said.

Action News Jax asked the district how parents were made aware of the content aside from the Facebook post. They showed Action News Jax where the videos are posted on their website.

Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=856&v=L039Fd5r9j0&feature=emb_logo  

Link to all videos: https://dcps.duvalschools.org/Page/26942 

Trent said he’d like to see the district give parents ample opportunity to opt their children out of watching the videos. DCPS said they’re looking into if that’s possible, since the lessons are state-mandated.

The full email from the DCPS school behavioral health director: 

"Thank you for taking a moment to review the Wellness Wednesday videos; I hope to alleviate any concerns you may have. Additionally, I want to thank you for sharing your concerns – as evidenced through your dialogue, we are happy to address them.

"This month's lesson included content from the OneLove Foundation, an organization the district Health and Physical Education department has partnered with for many years. OneLove was founded in 2010, to honor the memory of Yeardley Love, who was beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend. Since its founding the organization has produced developmentally appropriate content for classroom instruction and workshops educating young people about relationship abuse. All organizations the district partners with undergo a rigorous approval process completed by the School Health Advisory Council, a multi-disciplinary team of educational specialists and community leaders. The couplet videos featured immediately following the "Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship" section are intended to illustrate an appropriate demonstration of love, as well as, inappropriate example. These 15-20 second clips have been a part of our middle school health curriculum for the past few years. The "Sabotage" clip was meant to highlight the possibility of sabotage associated with sending inappropriate photos. While I agree there may be a missed opportunity in delving into the legal implications and underpinnings of the "widespread pandemic of sexting", that was not the focus of this Wellness Wednesday's month's lesson.

"Through the Wellness Wednesday lessons our goal is to ensure that we address concerns that impact all aspects of student's social emotional wellness and relationships are one of those areas. January's Middle School Wellness Wednesday lesson highlights internet/technological safety and featured explicit instruction not to send inappropriate images and the legal consequences of those actions. Specifically, at minute 1:51, 3:47 through 6:17 and 7:33 through 8:14.

"Again, I appreciate your concerns and feedback. Our team will continue to work to add a reminder concerning the implications of sending nude photos to the 6-8 February Wellness Wednesday Lesson immediately following the couplet clip."