A Pennsylvania school board voted this week to ban daily broadcasts of “CNN 10” in middle-school classrooms, according to a new report.
The Norwin School Board voted 5 to 4 on Monday to end the daily showings of the digital news program that aims to explain the “big stories of the day” in just ten minutes, according to the Norwin Star.
Banning the CNN program, which is anchored by Carl Azuz, was a key campaign promise made by three new school-board members who were voted into office last year. Under the new ruling, classroom televisions will remain off unless they are used to play commemorative broadcasts, including those focused on Veterans Day or the attack on Pearl Harbor.
While an initial resolution would have banned any television programming during the homeroom period before classes begin for the day, the board ultimately moved to allow teachers to use the TVs to show the special broadcasts.
Board member Christine Baverso made the motion after a seventh grade global-studies teacher said teachers used the televisions to show patriotic-related programming, the Norwin Star reported.
The teacher, Megan Zobb, said instructors do not want to indoctrinate students and also do not want to be micromanaged by the school board, the report adds.
Baverso said that teachers should use all sources for news on events.
Still, despite Azuz’s vow to offer a “down-the-middle explanation of world news” in the program, some parents expressed concern about allowing a biased news channel into the classroom.
Meanwhile, several teachers said they believed that the board was overstepping in prohibiting the daily broadcasts.
An eighth grade social-studies teacher said that CNN 10 “supports the school district’s mission statement of civic engagement by the students,” according to the report. CNN 10 was chosen by the district in 2019 to replace a similar news program by Channel One.
A recent episode of CNN 10 discussed crude oil, gas prices, and inflation. “Are they connected?” the program asked, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Azuz said that inflation reached its highest level since 1982 last month and suggested the crisis in Ukraine has played a big role in the rise in prices.
“One big reason is uncertainty about the situation in Ukraine, which we discussed on yesterday’s show,” he said, adding that it “remains to be seen is whether things will stay that way or normalize in the days ahead.”