Anti-abortion fetus dolls handed out to Norfolk, VA students by school principal
Plastic human fetus dolls - soft, in pink and brown, and about 4 inches long - have been handed out at Oakwood Elementary School by an employee who was put on administrative leave Thursday over the situation.The dolls, which were distributed over weeks or months, are not authorized by the division as instructional materials, spokeswoman Elizabeth Thiel Mather said Thursday. Mather said the employee will remain on leave until school officials investigate the reports.
Oakwood Principal Sheila Tillett Holas was put on leave today, Thiel Mather said. The division began its investigation after The Pilot asked school leaders this week about the fetus dolls.
The distribution of the life-like forms among grade school children shocked and repelled some parents and teachers and School Board members who discussed them in a closed meeting this week.
"It is hard to imagine that we would have an employee who believes it would be appropriate to share plastic fetus dolls with students in one of our schools," School Board Chairman Stephen Tonelson said Thursday.
An Oakwood teacher told The Pilot that the "squooshy" dolls had been given to students in the third, fourth and fifth grades over several months. The teacher, who asked for anonymity to avoid retaliation from the school for speaking out, said several parents and staff were upset.
The teacher said that attached to the dolls was a card with a "pro-life" message and information on fetal growth.
Is it sick of me to want to get one of these fetus dolls for my dog to play with? Actually, after looking at the dolls they're too small. They'd present a choking hazard for him.
