School Candid about Discussing Candide

At Tuesday night’s School Committee meeting, member Mike Desimone raised an issue with an upcoming play that the 7th and 8th grade B.E.A.M. students were scheduled to attend the week of Oct. 3.   Since the meeting, Patch received word that the field trip has been cancelled.

B.E.A.M., which was started in 1980, stands for Burlington’s Extended Academic Model and it is described on the school’s web site as pull-out enrichment program for students identified as academically talented. Desimone said that parents expressed concern about the educational relevance and age appropriateness of the play.

Conti identified the play in question as Voltaire's “Candide” which is showing at the Huntington Theater in Boston.

“Candide by Voltaire can certainly have some educational value. I think a lot of it depends on the follow up conversations that occur in the classrooms,” said Conti.

Conti said that he would speak with B.E.A.M. teacher Susan Rogers as to how she is making those connections.

“The principal is aware of the field trip and the relationship with Huntington is a longtime relationship. It’s been part of the B.E.A.M program for quite a while,” said Conti.

Conti went on to state that the issue of age-appropriateness is “in the eye of the beholder” and that the Huntington site states that the play is appropriate for grades six and up.

“Our commitment is to get detailed information to parents and then they can make a decision for their own child,” said Conti.

Conti stated that he has asked Rogers to provide a more detailed description of the content of the play to parents.

In May, similar concerns were .

Member Tom Murphy recalled that the problem in May was mainly regarding informed consent. He mentioned that the play also included brief nudity.

Parent Joanne Frustaci then addressed the committee and stated that informed consent was only one of the problems with the May field trip. She described what she felt was inappropriate content that the eleven and twelve year old students were exposed to. A tense exchange between Frustaci and Murphy followed in which the two differed over the relevance of the May field trip. 

The exchange ended with a new focus on the upcoming field trip to view “Candide”.

“This is a public school system and we need to find a common place for all of us where we can agree on what is educationally relevant for our advanced learners. Is a play that is not read relevant? Can you even read the play “Candide” in middle school?” Frustaci asked.

The rhetorical question went unanswered but according to librarians at the Burlington Public Library the original Voltaire text is generally tackled only in Advanced Placement high school English classes or by college students.

Two days after the school committee meeting, principal Richard Connors decided to cancel the field trip citing lack of preparation time.

“To me the most important thing is making sure the children are prepared for the show. We did not have the necessary preparation time,” said Connors. “Many of the shows at the Huntington have mature subject matter and it’s important to make sure the children are well prepared,” he added.