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Resident objects to 'Bang Bang' lyrics shown in 8th-grade music; committee to review curriculum policy
Summary
A public commenter read sexually explicit lyrics she said were shown with subtitles in an eighth-grade music lesson and asked the district to set a policy for outside content in classrooms. District staff said teachers should have flexibility but agreed to review and consider a formal policy and follow up with the commenter.
Resident Ted Mecca read lyrics from the song "Bang Bang," which he said was shown with subtitles during an eighth-grade music lesson, and told the school committee he found the material inappropriate for that grade level. “The song is called Bang Bang,” Mecca said, reading lines from the recording and describing the content as 'salacious.'
Committee members and staff asked clarifying questions about whether students were reading the lyrics or watching a video with subtitles; Mecca said it was a video shown in class. Staff said it would be helpful to have that context in advance and confirmed they would look into whether the material was part of approved curriculum or brought in by the teacher.
The committee did not vote on policy at the meeting but agreed to "look into it" and to consider whether a written policy is needed for outside materials used in coursework. One member said teachers should have flexibility but that outside-sourced course material should be approved ahead of time by department chairs when appropriate.
Next steps: staff will investigate how the song was used, whether it was part of approved materials, and whether an explicit policy or guidance should be adopted; the committee asked staff to report back.
