It is astonishing that teachers would put children in this position but apparently Washington has somewhat looser requirements for those exercising responsibility and oversight of children than one might have hoped:
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA - A 'Fear Factor' type assembly at Narrows View Intermediate left some with a bitter taste in their mouths. A family watches and squirms knowing what their daughter went through. They consider it hazing.
"She must have been under a tremendous amount of pressure," says the girl's dad who does not want the family identified.
There were three teams, each made up of a teacher and two students doing stunts similar to the popular television show "Fear Factor."
In fact, a consent form went home to parents. It said, "Your child will not be forced to do anything they don't want to do... One team member will bowl twice to knock over all the pins. However many pins are left standing will be the number of meal worms the contestant must eat..."
Since "the contestant," not the whole team, would incur the penalty, the parents we talked to signed the form.
In home video given to KOMO 4 News the teacher bowled. Instead of just her eating the meal worms, like the permission slip stated, the school counselor and that same teacher tried to make all the team members eat the meal worms.
One girl in the video is visibly uncomfortable - and even clenches her hands together and shakes her head no. But the teacher tugs at the girls hands repeatedly. Long enough for the entire assembly to start chanting. The girl says because she didn't want to eat a worm the entire 6th grade class got disqualified from the games. She felt a horrible pressure.
In the end, the counselor gives her a 'high five', but it was too late -- other students attacked. "He was calling me a swear word, a wimp and everyone else too and made me feel really awful," says the sixth grader.
The family is shocked. They say adults should not let a child be ridiculed. The girl told KOMO 4 News that even though she was teased - she's glad that she stood her ground.
University Place School District Superintendent Patti Banks gave this statement: "My staff has not yet had an opportunity to investigate the incident, and so I'm not able to make a comment at this time."
Indeed. We look forward to hearing the official administrative explication of the underlying pedagogical theory being applied here. We're sure there is one. By the way, if this occurred at an assembly, where were the building principals?