Miami fourth-grade teacher is under fire for showing horror film ‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey’ in class – with some parents sending their children for counselling
A Florida woman claims her children were shown 20 to 30 minutes of a gory horror film during class – and says the school ‘let her down’ after hearing her complaints.
Michelle Diaz said her fourth-grade twins were left with scars after being shown Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey by their math teacher at their charter school, The Academy of Innovative Education in Miami Springs.
The horror film was released in February and is not rated, but it contains several torture scenes and depictions of detailed injuries, as well as nudity and profanity.
Diaz claims the kids asked the teacher to turn it off, but they were ignored.
“He didn’t stop the movie, even though there were kids saying, ‘Hey, stop the movie, we don’t want it,'” she said CBS News.
Michelle Diaz, the parent of two fourth grade students at The Academy of Innovative Education in Miami Springs, claimed her children were shown a gory horror film in class
The film, titled Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, reimagines the classic fictional characters as bloodthirsty killers who stalk a group of female college students.
Dressed in rubbery masks, Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet kill their victims in various ways, including strangling them and feeding them into a lumberjack
The children were shown the film on October 2 and came home distraught. Diaz immediately complained to administrators – but her concerns, she claims, were ignored.
“I feel completely abandoned by the school,” she said after walking out of a meeting with the principal at The Academy of Innovative Education in Miami Springs.
In the film, angry after being abandoned by Christopher Robin, Winnie-The-Pooh and Piglet go on a murderous rampage.
The killersābloated, rubbery depictions of the characters they’re meant to representāhunt a group of female college students with machetes and guns.
Victims are bludgeoned with sledgehammers, fed into loggers and strangled with chains.
Diaz claims the students chose the movie, but said: ‘It’s not for them to decide what they want.
“It is for the professor to look at the contents.”
Diaz claims the teacher didn’t stop the gruesome movie even when other students told him to turn it off
In addition to the unnecessary violence, the film uses profanity in nudity – in one scene a woman’s top falls off while she is being attacked
In a statement, the school acknowledged that a mental health counselor had already met with several students while insisting that the administration had ‘taken appropriate action’
The school released a statement acknowledging that a mental health counselor had already met with some students.
“The Academy for Innovative Education has become aware that a segment of a horror movie was shown to fourth graders on Monday 2 October 2023 that was not suitable for the age group,” it says.
“Our administration immediately addressed this issue directly with the teacher and took appropriate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of students.”
Principal Vera Hirsh also met with the Miami New Times.
She said that ‘once the teacher realized what was being shown, the movie was turned off.’
Hirsh also denied that the students were shown any violence, adding: ‘Most of the film’s gruesome murder scenes take place later in the movie.’
She said the issue had been ‘thoroughly addressed with teachers, students and parents’ and the affected students were ‘in school and doing well’.
Head of school Vera Hirsh told a local publication that the teacher turned off the film once he realized what was being shown
Hirsh also denied that the students saw any of the violence, adding: ‘Most of the film’s gruesome kill scenes take place later in the movie.’
Diaz says she feels “abandoned” by the school after meeting with the principal and expressing her concerns
While she acknowledged that the students chose the movie, she argued that the teacher should be the one to evaluate the content and deem it appropriate
Charter schools are non-profit organizations contracted to provide the same educational services as district public schools.
However, they operate independently of many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools.
‘At AIE, learning is focused on active exploration of important concepts, ideas and theories through hands-on learning and real-world problem solving,’ reads the school vision statement.
“Students will be challenged to use scientific knowledge and critical thinking skills while taking ownership of their personal academic exploration and growth.”
The Academy for Innovative Education first opened its doors in 2011, starting as a K-3 school and adding grades each year.
In the last year, it became fully K-12 and graduated its first senior class.
The curriculum has a tailored focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, or STEAM.
AIE claims that both the Elementary and Middle/High School were awarded a School Grade of ‘A’ by the Florida Department of Education – however, as the DOE has yet to release data from last year, this statement cannot be confirmed.
MailOnline has reached out for comment.