Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parent raises consent and student-safety concerns after high school production
Summary
A parent said a recent high school production included staged touching between minors and asked where parental informed consent, on-set supervision and protections such as intimacy coordinators exist for school performances.
Parent and local theater professional Jamie Thatcher told the Union County Board of Education on June 2 that she observed scenes in a recent high school production she believes should have required clearer parental consent and stronger protections for minors.
Thatcher described several scenes involving minors that she said included simulated breast-grabbing, a staged makeout, and other intimate contact. She said these elements raised questions about whether parents were informed in writing and whether procedures similar to industry standards — such as informed-consent forms, intimacy coordinators and stricter on-site supervision — were followed.
"Where is the informed consent process and procedure? Where are the parents' rights to know that these types of physical interactions will be expected of their children?" Thatcher asked the board, noting her professional experience working with minors on film and theater sets.
The speaker requested clarity about district expectations for school productions involving minors and asked the board to consider policies that protect students and provide parents an opportunity to opt their children out of staging requiring intimate contact.
No formal staff response to this specific concern was recorded in the meeting transcript. Thatcher said she would not name the high school publicly in this forum; the comment was offered during the public-comment period.
