Teacher Accused of Showing Spicy Film Charged

[Ruby Romaine]

1/19/2006 at 13:05

The Ayersville High School teacher accused of showing a movie containing explicit sex scenes to her students has been indicted by the Defiance County Grand Jury.

Megan Espen, 39, of Bowling Green is charged with one count of pandering obscenity, a 5th degree felony, and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a misdemeanor.
Espen is accused of showing the Spanish language film, ‘Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!’ to her Ayersville HS Spanish class.

Espen will be arraigned on February 2nd in Defiance. If convicted of the charges, she could face up to a year in prison.

http://www.foxtoledo.com/index.cfm?action=dsp_story&storyid=93421

A year in prison for showing an Almodovar film?
What a country we have!

[marmar]

1. It's saucy for sure, but criminal charges.!?%?!?

I've gotta get out of this place, if it's the last thing I ever do...
:cry: :cry: :cry:

[Nomen Tuum]

32. He could have shown "DIRTY LOVE" instead.

Now THAT is a movie that deserves SERIOUS PUNISHMENT!

[killbotfactory]

2. wtf?

How old were the kids in her class?

[Ruby Romaine]

8. almost old enough to die for Bush in Iraq -16 & 17 years old

the funny thing is the local (Ohio) media says the film was "pornographic"!

Last month, the board suspended teacher Megan Espen without pay for allegedly showing a pornographic film during one of her Spanish classes.
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=4341581

[regnaD kciN]

13. Here's something I'd love the defense to try...

...bring every student in the class into the courtroom and ask them to raise their hand if they didn't know what sex was before seeing the film.

:spank:

[mrcheerful]

16. In Ohio don't bet on the kids knowing anything about sex

remember its Ohio law that if a man performs oral sex on a female its a felony.

[killbotfactory]

20. The 16 year olds should have gotten permission slips or something

But a felony? The 17 year olds can watch anything they want. In my senior English class the teacher showed A Clockwork Orange.

[Charlie Brown]

21. I remember watching Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet in freshman English

I believe that movie has nudity, and we were mostly 14 and 15.

No one cared.

[HuffleClaw]

41. we saw that in grade 10

and i recall fleeting nudity and olivia hussy's heaving bosoms. don't recall anyone getting up in arms about it. but this was in ontario, canada.

[Bassic]

29. Yeah, but don't you know by now

that violence comes from God and that sex comes from Satan? :sarcasm:

[Charlie Brown]

3. If the school wants to fire or suspend the teacher, fine

but criminal charges? I'd hate to think I could go to jail by allowing teens to watch "Tie Me Up . . ."

[Minstrel Boy]

4. "explicit" sex scenes?

Shouldn't that be implicit?

[EuroObserver]

27. There is no "explicit" sex in Almodovar's "Átame"

A little soft erotisism which is the essence of the story the film portrays.

Certainly nothing there and Spanish kid that age wouldn't have seen and accepted as a perfetly normal part of life.

Weird indeed.

[rodeodance]

33. I am sad to see this--I do not know about the film but it brings up an

issue that is out there--teens have sex and do not experience love--legally that is according to our adult mentality.

...A little soft erotisism which is the essence of the story the film portrays.

[BiggJawn]

5. Ohio...figures. The Kansas of the East.

Rod Parsely probably heard about it and was SHOCKED-SHOCKED, I tell you!- when he found it wasn't "The Veggietales in TabascoLand", which is as "spicy" a movie as he thinks young buckeyes should be seeing....

[nashville_brook]

6. jesus freaking on a biscuit

i thought tennessee was bad!

[PassingFair]

7. Stupid idea to show an R -rated movie to highschool students

...without getting permission from their parents.
My kids bring home permission slips when teachers show movies beyond a PG rating.
She should be "written-up", maybe even fired, but a FELONY?
That's NUTS.

Moving OUT of Ohio was the smartest thing my parents ever did.

[1monster]

11. In this school district, teachers may not show seniors in high school a

movie rated above "G" without first getting a permission slip signed by their parents.

PG: permission slip needed.

R: approval of principal and permission slip needed...

[Mithras61]

14. Actually, it carries an NC-17 rating in the...

USA. In other countries, it carries other ratings:

Certification: Singapore:R21 / Argentina:16 / Australia:R / Canada:13+ (Quebec) / Canada:18A / Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) / Chile:18 / Finland:K-16 / France:U / Germany:16 / Hong Kong:III / South Korea:18 / Spain:18 / Sweden:15 / UK:18 / USA:NC-17 (rating surrendered) / USA:X (original rating) / Iceland:16

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101026/

I suspect that it probably deserves either a PG-13 or an R rating based on the information about the content that is available on IMDB, but I haven't seen it so can't say for certain. Several of the posts there suggest that there is a significant ammount of nudity, but it's the casual nudity of people without inhibitions, not the sort of prurient nudity that people normally associate with films from Hollywood, and that American Pie has as steamy of a sex scene as is found in ¡Átame!

[Johnyawl]

9. She deserves a year in jail

Have you seen this movie!!?? Not only is there explicit sex scenes, the male lead is a stalker for god's sake!! The main plot line of the movie has the male lead stalking the female lead, breaking into her house, and holding her in captivity (lots of bondage here) to force her to fall in love with him - WHICH SHE DOES! Is there anybody stupid enough to think this is appropriate material to be showing to TEENAGE BOYS!!?? Is this the kind of dating technic we want to teach them. Date rape is already a major problem in this country, can we do anything else to make it worse??!!

I love this movie. I LOVE this movie, I think Almodovar is a genius, and this film is highly entertaining, BUT it is not appropriate for a lot of teenagers. IT HAD AN NC-17 RATING!!

Of all the really great spanish language films available in this country, she had to show this one? She's an idiot, and should never be allowed near a public school again.

[Charlie Brown]

15. A year in jail for showing a questionable movie to teens?

Do you really think this 39 year old woman was encouraging her students to date-rape and abduct people?

She evidently had not done her homework on the movie, and was probably just trying to find some way to keep them quiet for an hour. Irresponsible, yes, but criminal?

If I ever make a mistake like that, I hope I am not judged as harshly as this woman.

[mseang]

24. Movies will not cause someone to date rape...

If that were the case, half of us would have turned into terrorists after watching the Die Hard Trilogy. (Imagine how many congressmen would be porn stars right now after their report a few years ago.)

While I firmly believe that our country is way to puritanical about sex and nudity, the laws are right their on the books for everyone to see. She really should not be teaching children if she believes that showing this film was legal, as she probably broke copyright laws as well.

She is in the same situation as our president. Even though she believes she was doing the right thing, breaking the law is not the best was to get it changed.

[Bassic]

30. Oh yes and I'm sure she told her students taht the lead

Was doing the right thing all along. :sarcasm:

Movies about this sort of thing can be used as useful tools in different lessons about the problems one might encouter in this society. Sheltering the kids is not going to help them cope with this sort of thing.

[TheBaldyMan]

31. it's an art house movie

how on earth can it be equated with 'American Pie' or 'Debbie does Dallas'. I suppose you would like to think that teenagers have never seen a porn movie, I'd rather they saw an art house movie with kinky sex than a mindless piece of pap designed to tittilate.

Honestly you can see freakier stuff on TV in the UK, it's one of the advantages of never having the Hayes code. The stuff you only see on cable in the states is aired on terrestrial in most other countries.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. I remember my friend rented Tie Me Up Tie Me Down in college

I was like, alright baby, hoping for some sex scenes. it was super tame. I mean, are you kidding me?

[CoffeeCat]

12. If a teacher showed a movie to hs students that had sex scenes...

in it, then this teacher should be charged with the charges that she was.

Any teacher who shows under-aged nudity and explicit sex scenes to juveniles is guilty
of a crime.

This really is outrageous. Teachers are supposed to act in the best interests
of their students. Although they are imperfect human beings, they are supposed
to uphold high moral standards and use good judgment.

This person has something seriously wrong with them.

[fishwax]

23. where are you getting that it had under-aged nudity?

[mongo]

35. Perhaps she should have been charged

with diseminating matter harmful to juvieniles, but pandering obscenity?

Pandering obscnity says that this film is too shocking or harmful and against community standards and NO ONE should be allowed to see it.

[mrcheerful]

17. Boy has america devolved since 1974

I remember in the liberal arts class in high school where 4 teens got together and made a dating at the drive in movie. Nudity and sex acts included, the teens received an A grade for their effort. The teacher then used the movie to show other classes what she didn't want to see again. What are we going back to the days when sex was hidden and only bad girls enjoyed sex? Geeeeeeeeeeesh.

[WinkyDink]

18. See, here's the thing: Senorita Teach had TONS of OTHER films

from which to choose, some even RECOMMENDED by NEA, I'd bet.
The sexual "experience" or lack thereof of her students IS BESIDE THE LEGAL and EDUCATIONAL POINT.

Were the students asked to translate this film? Analyze it AS a film (directing, motifs, etc.)?
Or was the teacher stupidly using this particular film as an attention-grabber---and a popularity-among-her-students booster?

She's in trouble. If a theatre owner can be prosecuted, or at least cited, for showing this movie to minors without their guardian, she can be. And her contract with her district is likely going to be against her action.

[Ruby Romaine]

19. I saw Tie me up when it was released-i find typical TV crime dramas they

show these days much more objectionable-
with the 1,000's of ways to murder & rape.

[WinkyDink]

22. She wasn't showing TMU, TMD in opposition to CSI.

And personal preferences aren't the standard for teachers.

[dback]

25. As a former substitute, I say: no WAY you show that in a high school class

I've shown R-rated films to various classes according to the teachers' wishes, with occasional requests to please fast-forward through certain scenes (which on one level seems ridiculous, but on the other hand, when it's the sex scene in "The Name of the Rose" for a European history class...). If it's truly essential to the subject matter (especially in English and History clases), it's often appropriate.

Having said that, there are very few Almovodar films that one could show in a classroom for Spanish class, except for "Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." But there are TONS of great Spanish movies you could show that would be infinitely less controversial. ("Tortilla Soup"--the Spanish remake of "Eat Drink Man Woman"--is a great one.)

[SKKY]

26. If I were her, and were taking this bold step, I would have chosen...

..."Talk to her". I mean if you're going to piss people off, might as well aim high!

[BR_Parkway]

28. Her defense should claim it was to counter the homersaxual agenda

that she was trying to balance out what all us "anti-family" types have been promoting - tie the fundies up in knots trying to figure out which side of that one to come down on. Blame that rabid, lefty out of control prosecutor who's just trying to make this a big partisan issue, al a Delay.

Acutally, in OH, it might lead the jury to Not Guilty.

[mongo]

34. Did you notice the charges

Not only did they charge her with disseminating matter harmful to juveniles -- she was charged with PANDERING OBSCENITY.

This charge has nothing to do with kids. It basically means that this movie is too explicit and against community standards -- and no ADULTS should have access to this movie.

From other posters descriptions, the movie doesn't seem all that explicit.

But people never believe me when I try to explain that the laws are so broad that you can get arrested for selling Playboy magazine to an adult in most of America.

[JohnWoolman]

36. I'm a High School Teacher in America and...

I am not familiar with this film, but what I am familiar with is ethics. Ethically, it would seem intrinsically unfounded to charge this woman with "pandering obscenity", unless of course obscenity were defined by Ohio law, which it seems is not. The law seems to be the problem with this issue.

On the other hand, on a moral level, the culture of the United States seems misguided. Someone on this thread eluded to the idea that the "pandering" of issues such as violence, dishonesty, murder, suicide, or child molestation are shown on television on a regular basis (national television none the less). I interpret this as a SEVERELY delusional code of values we practice in our society.

Be that as it may, I propose the following question: If NBC showed this movie would Ohio sue them, or refuse to show it? I think not... too many people would lose money!

*P.S. good thing this woman didn't show a Takashi Miike film!*

[Solon]

37. You mean like The Audition?

Perfect for Japanese language instruction! :)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235198/

The sad part is that most Americans would have little problem with the violence and blood, but the sexuality, forget about it!

[aaronbees]

38. It's been forever since I saw the film....

but she has good taste in directors, that's for sure. Perhaps "Talk to Her" would've been a better choice (though there is some nudity in that). The pandering charge, though, is laughable, just as someone discussed above.

It can be tricky finding a film that fits into a curriculum and challenges students. As a first-year college comp teacher, I showed "American History X" to my class one semester -- was rough but they did well with it.

[KitSileya]

39. I've shown American History X to my freshman class.

I teach English as a foreign language at a vocational school in Norway, and I've shown AHX to my all-boys construction class. They're 16 and upwards. No problem there. I usually chose action films for my all-boys class, tho' in their sophomore year, I usually show East is East as well - a great example of family and multiculturalism in Britain.

I wonder why she chose that particular movie. Was there a purpose above and beyond just watching a Spanish-language film? Did its theme(s) connect to things that they'd worked on in class? I would really like to know her motivation before I judge this case. I haven't seen the movie myself, so I don't know how explicit it is.

[aaronbees]

40. I think AHX is a great film to show...

at that age level. I agree about ascertaining her motivations before judging her -- would be interesting to find out. We watched "American History X" because being in eastern Washington there was a neo-Nazi compound in Idaho just about an hour away .... so I found it relevant in a course that largely deals with contemporary social and political issues.

[KitSileya]

42. I chose AHX for less lofty reasons.

I only have my classes once a week, for 90 minutes each time. Most of them are sick to death of theoretical subjects, and have enough trouble passing Norwegian because of diverse learning problems, let alone continue to learn a foreign language, even if they have had it since they started school. So, AHX is a compromise film, enough action/drama to keep them happy, enough fodder for thought to keep me happy. I don't see a reason to torture my boys with movies that they consider boring and too difficult just because they are supposed to learn something while watching movies in class. How important is knowing how to analyse a film in a foreign language for a carpenter anyway? As long as they manage to order a beer when in Newcastle and communicate with foreign workers in the work place, I am happy.

[NashVegas]

45. More Titilating Than Explicit, IIRC

I've forgotten most of the movie except how cute a young Antonio Banderas was. I didn't think it was nearly as perverted as it was made out to be.

It would have been a better movie to show in psych class than Spanish.

OTOH, if this teacher was trying to show the world that this is the same Ohio that arrested a gallery curator for bringing a Mapplethorpe exhibit, she's proved her point.

[anotherdrew]

43. that was a dumb move, but no charges should be filed.

how stupid is that? but... I would contend that there is no basis to prove that anything in the movie is "harmfull" in any way.

[greiner3]

44. Out of 12 citizens, 'peers', I have to believe that one;

Will do the right thing and find her not guilty! If not, all of us, except for the one poster who believes her guiilty, face a bleak future here in the US.