What Would You Do If a Porn Star Visited Your Kid's School? MomTalk
Parents of first-graders cry foul when a celebrity with a past participates in a district reading program.
When I heard about this little gem, I envisioned dads (and maybe moms) of first graders at Emerson Elementary School in California counting the minutes until the guest reader arrived. In the past, they never would have considered calling in sick. But today was different. Sasha Gray would be reading.
Gray is a former porn star chosen earlier this month by an outside talent agency to participate in the Compton Unified School District's celebrity reading program.
She was dressed appropriately. No plunging necklines. No moans at the turn of every page. No sex advice given. No goody bags filled with lube and condoms. Just a book read to some unsuspecting 6 year olds.
No one would have known about her past had parents not publicly cried foul, an indication that certain parents were a bit more porn savvy than others.
The school passed the buck to the talent coordinator who they say identified the celebrity not by name but by her status as a "mainstream actress from the HBO series Entourage." But then you have to wonder why school officials would go along with it. This was an actress from an adult TV series unrecognizable to most if not all first-graders.
As a parent, I think a better choice could have been made. Do I bemoan the actress? Of course not. But I would have addressed school officials (if it troubled me that deeply), assuming I knew of the actress and her background, discretely. Personally, I think there are more important wars to wage and this was simply a case of good intentions gone awry.
The school plans to review the reader selection process to avoid future problems in the program.
Would you be in an uproar if you learned that a former porn star read to your child at school?
delete
9:59 am on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
This is a non-issue and will never happen if you send you children to a Catholic school.
Lisa Edge
10:51 am on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
CCLB - not everyone has the luxury or where with all to send their children to Catholic schools and they should not have to in order to avoid bad judgment calls like this.
Colleen McAbee
6:43 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
CCLB - Yes. Because nothing bad ever happens in Catholic facilities. Ahem.
Denice Howard
8:48 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Unless she was stripping in class all these small minded idiots should mind their own bussiness!
CJM
10:23 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A non-issue because you're so pious and pure, or because you know how to keep your exploiters "secret" by shunting them from parish to parish and offering big settlements?
Karen V. Maurer
10:11 am on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
If the point here is celebrity, then the celeb status should be identifiable or at least recognizable to the children, and of some quality they could emulate or imagine growing into. If seen this way it is not a non-issue, because a current emphasis in schools is the realization that schools help develop character. Karen Maurer
Cezar Jenkins
11:47 am on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
What would I do? Treat her like every other law abiding citizen. She's done nothing wrong. Even if you do consider pornography wrong, she's moved on to being a mainstream actress and model.
Nabeha Zegar
1:50 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Sure, a better choice could have been made in this situation. Ideally we would like to see a more wholesome representative of the community interacting with our children. That being said, the only way the kids would know what the actress is best known for is if someone who knew of her work told them, which I seriously doubt happened. I say move on, get over it and if it really bothers the parents that someone who has behaved immorally read to their child, then they need to create a screening process that would prevent this. That does seem rather "big brother" like and would have to apply to all who enter the school and interacts with the students. In my opinion, she read a book to kids, and by doing so she proved to me that she had good intentions and I applaud her for playing an active positive role in the community she lives in. What she does for a living should not matter.
Darin Johnson
10:54 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
It might bother me if she was reading Penthouse Forum to the kids.....other than that who cares.
Steve Burke
11:48 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
At least it wasn't like the Monty Python's skit "Storytime" http://youtu.be/7MstyFwhLy4
Ryan Fitzpatrick
5:41 am on Thursday, December 1, 2011
Too perfect.
Doug
7:34 pm on Thursday, December 1, 2011
I'd insist on more parent/teacher conferences!
nate driper
2:08 pm on Sunday, May 13, 2012
People need to stop being uptight, superficial, and judgmental. She's a human being who did that as her job. Its a different story and different scenario when you question that when it comes to a guy wanting to marry a chick like that since its personal. This is a woman who lived that lifestyle before and was asked to read to children. Do YOU read to a class of children? Or even have the time or volunteer? Plus the patch needs to get new writers.
delete
11:32 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
nate driper - then public schooling should fit your no-standards prefence nicely.