SECONDARY school pupils banned from studying the award-winning Scottish play Black Watch because of its adult themes and offensive language are taking matters into their own hands by launching a petition urging their head teacher to change her mind.
The pupils at Webster's High in Kirriemuir, Angus, are calling on fellow students, parents, teachers and the local community to sign their petition opposing the ban of the SQA-approved text about the Iraqi war.
The petition by pupils came as the school's controversial head teacher Jane Esson sent out a letter to parents admiting "in my professional view the explicit text is too demanding for our young learners in a classroom setting", however, she still refuses to back down and allow pupils in the future to study the text.
After three weeks of pressure from parents, pupils, politicians and a host of influential writers such as Ian Rankin and Louise Welsh, who wrote an open letter in the Sunday Herald last week appealing to the head teacher to change her mind, Esson has finally owned up to making the decision, explained the reasons behind it and agreed to face parents at the next parent council meeting on Tuesday.
She has infuriated pupils by continually blaming them for the decision, claiming "this year the class has chosen another text to study", however, in the letter to parents by Angus Council, she finally says it was her choice.
A fresh statement issued by the council on Friday also admits it was "the headteacher's decision to withdraw the Black Watch play as a study text for the Higher drama class".
Esson caused outrage among parents and 16 and 17-year-old pupils who felt they were being censored, and could not understand why she had singled out Black Watch when many texts in the English and Drama Higher curriculum are littered with adult content and swear words.
One parent, who did not wish to be named for fear of repercussion for her child, said: "All along she has been blaming the kids but now, after three weeks of pressure from the Sunday Herald, the literary world and politicians, she finally has the guts to own up to it - but no-one can believe she still hasn't backed down on her decision.
"I think it is an utter disgrace and she should hang her head in shame. She was supposed to attend the last parent council meeting to explain herself but instead she went to the local drama group's Wizard of Oz show.
"We have believed all along that she has allowed her evangelical beliefs to cloud her judgement and she is the only teacher in Scotland to ban this play or any other from the curriculum. It is outrageous.
"The pupils are young adults and they deserve some respect...not be told that they are too immature to understand that swear words are regularly used as a release for soldier during the most traumatic wars. It would be naive to presume otherwise. My god, they hear a lot worse in the playground.
"I think it's great that the pupils have decided to take a stance against their head teacher and demand she changes her mind. It looks like it's too late for this year's pupils now because they were already half way through studying it when the ban came into place, but they are fighting for future generations.
"I just hope they get the support they deserve from fellow pupils, teachers and the local community because if we allow this to continue where will it stop?"
In the open letter published in the Sunday Herald last week, co-signatories screenwriter Mike Cullen and Fiona Morrison-Graham, Vice President of the writers' association Scottish PEN, spoke of dismay over Esson's decisions, saying: "The nature of Black Watch's language allows us to hear soldiers speak in their own voice about their lives and the effects of momentous political decisions. When we ignore those voices, we step away from an important dialogue about our society, and our understanding is worse for it.
"In the spirit of such constructive dialogue, we would support the pupils and parents of Angus High School. We respectfully ask the head teacher to reconsider her decision and allow her students to continue their study of this essential piece of Scottish culture."
Former First Minister Alex Salmond then went on Radio 4 to voice his opposition and described the move as "absolutely ridiculous".
Salmond said: "The issue here is should plays be withdrawn from school curriculum by a head teacher because they have some bad language in them. If you applied that rule you wouldn't be studying anything."
Angus Council issued a statement on Esson's behalf in which she admits Black Watch is a "very powerful and thought provoking stage play", however, she found it too explicit for the school.
A council spokesperson said: "As the headteacher has said in her letter to parents she will be attending the parent council meeting on March 17. At that meeting, or at any time before it, the headteacher is happy to discuss her decision and the reasons for it with any parents or pupils. She has already had a discussion with representatives from the class and has spoken with the few parents who have contacted her directly, to express their disagreement.
"The headteacher's decision to withdraw the Black Watch play as a study text for the Higher drama class followed a complaint from a parent of a pupil in the class. Mrs Esson reviewed the text and, after consulting with the school's senior management team, it was decided that it was inappropriate to be studied as a class text by the pupils, some of whom were as young as 15.The text was withdrawn and the class chose another text.
"As Mrs Esson states in her letter, Black Watch is a very powerful and thought provoking stage play but her professional view is that the explicit text, which features constant use of the 'c' swear word, was too demanding for the pupils in the classroom setting. The school is aware that a pupil petition has been circulated."
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