by KYW's Hadas Kuznits
A film about families has sparked controversy at Marlton Elementary School, where district third graders watched a film in December titled, "That's A Family."
Parents attended a public meeting in Evesham Township Tuesday night, where the film was screened and the floor was open for comments.
The film was narrated by children who come from various types of families -- single parent families, ethnically mixed families, families with adopted children, and those with gay moms and dads. That didn't sit well with some parents:
"It's very dangerous for a third grader to hear all this."
"It's horrifying and it's completely not age-appropriate for third graders."
"My son doesn't know about the birds and bees I'm certainly not gonna tell him about two women or two men being together."
"This movie is a showcase of family family dysfunction."
Others say the film is a lesson in tolerance:
"It is not really difficult to see where the bullying comes from when you look at the level of intolerance in this room!"
The district's goal is to promote acceptance:
"I think it just presents the way families are today."
"I think it's a wonderful example of how we can teach kids to respect all kinds of families."
But they have agreed to hold off showing it again at least until after it's discussed at the next school board meeting.
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