TULSA -- Some Allen Bowden parents are outraged after their kindergartners came home from school talking about a controversial cartoon shown in class.
The animated video depicts thoughts of suicide, showing a character holding a gun to her head with a noose dangling in the background. The video shows Daisy Duck upset after her boyfriend, Donald, has just dumped her.
The video starts off rather innocent, but quickly turns dark.
"Why would you show a video of someone trying to commit suicide," a parent said.
The parent, who wishes not to be identified, said her six-year-old son knew what he saw during class was wrong.
"It just shows them that they can play around with guns and its no big deal," the parent said. "Or that if the person you love doesn't love you back, it's OK to try and kill yourself."
Some describe the video as graphic in nature, showing Daisy holding a gun to her head with a hanging noose behind her. On the table is a knife, a bottle of poison, and a bomb.
The parent said the video clip played at the end of her son's class, and it's not the first time.
"I don't feel comfortable with my kids being in that class," the parent said. "He said he's been shown that multiple times, and I just thought, why didn't you ever tell us that before?"
Parents voiced their concerns to the school district, but didn't get the response they hoped for.
"My son and husband went to talk to the principal and all she had said was they would handle this and she dismissed them like they didn't matter," a parent said.
2 Works for You took the issue to Allen Bowden's superintendent, who said the school district handled the incident internally. The superintendent said he cannot comment further, but that the video's message was not intentional.
Parents are now asking others to speak up.
"Just voice your concerns," the parent said.
Parents now hope the teacher responsible is held accountable.
The video shown in class is a Disney cartoon broadcast in 1947, an era with different cultural norms. Parents said they understand that, but believe teachers today should use more digression.
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