Sunnyside parents demand action: 'This goes beyond obscene'
SUNNYSIDE, Wash. -- Action News learned the Sunnyside teachers under investigation for giving inappropriate materials to students are Maria Preston and Sacha Mike.
Parents say the teachers gave students pornographic poems and told them to memorize and recite the explicit material in class.
Some call it art. Others call it pornography. There's widespread agreement the poems said to have been given to Sunnyside High School students were inappropriate.
"It's not just one bad part. It's all throughout."
The mother who came forward wanted to remain anonymous, so we'll call her "Nancy." She spoke exclusively to Action News. Nancy says her son came home from Sunnyside High School a couple weeks ago, asking for help.
"It was total shock," she said. "I didn't know what I was feeling except 'what the heck was she thinking?'"
Nancy's son says each student in Maria Preston's and Ms. Sacha Mike's classes received a different poem.
- WARNING: Graphic material | Click here to read one of the poems
There are now seven in question. All are so sexually explicit we chose not to include those details in this story.
"She's got that poor of judgment on something this obvious. What is she going to do next?"
The Sunnyside School District put both Preston and Mike on paid leave.
The district had no comment despite repeated attempts for a response. However, Superintendent Rick Cole told the Sunnyside Daily Sun,"It's over the line and needs to be investigated."
Nancy: "I don't know what would be fireable if not giving out pornography to students and trying to humiliate them."
Reporter: So you consider this porn?
Nancy: "Yes, absolutely."
School district policy requires administrators to approve anything that could be deemed controversial. But that leaves teachers to determine what is controversial.
"There is no way, no way anyone who read these would think they are appropriate. No way."
Action News found a class syllabus used by Sacha Mike. She lists poems used in the classroom, but the seven in question aren't on the list. She also talks about speaking appropriately under classroom policies.
But Nancy maintains her son's assignment was the opposite of appropriate.
Nancy: "This goes beyond obscene."
Reporter: "Do you think she should be fired?"
Nancy: "Yeah I do."
That decision is still up to the district.
To get all sides, Action News wanted to hear from the teachers. Our reporter called Sacha Mike for three days and did not heard back.
KIMA was unable to find a phone number for Maria Preston.
The teachers union has no comment and hadn't heard anything about the case until we brought it to them.
The funny thing about poetry  is that it is often left up to the reader to interpret what it really means. Some think it's about word choice, Some think it's about realizing sex isn't love. Both are possible choices when given an appropriate argument.
I think, after all the lovely positions on this topic that I have now read about, that the beauty of this issue is that people other than the students are reading these poems and are learning to how to interpret and define what art is. Education is obviously not for just the young any more. Thank goodness for that.
Were any of you "concerned" and "educated" parents able to look PAST the "bad words" to see what the point of this poem IS? I am a parent myself and although my children are still young, I would want them to be educated enough to read a poem such as this (as upper classmen in high school) and be able to see the point- to dig deeper, past the bad words and descriptive nature to the CORE of the poem. Did any of you realize that this poem is telling your children that acting in such an obscene way is NOT love, is NOT health, is NOT positive??!! In this day and age, where kids are being exposed to so much crap, they should be able to learn to filter through the crap and this poem, and others like it, are teaching kids this. And let me ask you this, parents, if this poem was about killing someone and went into detail on war, murder, or other such things, would you have thrown such a big fit about it? I THINK NOT. . . think about the message THAT sends to your children.. . that human life is less important than sex. That it is better to be exposed to death or murder than to something as normal as sex.Â
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And let me just say this- how DARE any of you assume that these two ladies are not dedicated teachers. Even if it was a mistake to give a poem such as this out, which I DO NOT believe it was, I would assume that they did so to teach a quality lesson and to educate and challenge your children. Most, not all but most, teachers, ESPECIALLY ENGLISH TEACHERS teach for the love of the children and the desire to educate. You have no idea the amount of work it takes to teach- especially a subject like English. When an English teacher breaks down the amount they make per hour they put in, it works out to be LESS than minnimum wage.  Now, how many of you are willing to work with other people's kids for less than minnimum wage? How many of you are willing to work PERIOD for less than minnimum wage??  . . . so don't assume anything about the character of these teachers based on this one incident- or their lack of love for their positiions.  You have no idea what it does to a teacher- someone who is MEANT to be a teacher- to not be allowed to teach. You have NO clue.Â
 @Momoftwosons How arrogant. Your statement is ridiculous. You make major assumptions about all of the posters to this topic. But you state your position well, when you post ... " I THINK NOT."  I don't see your logic in trying to make English teachers out to be more dedicated than other teachers.  I think the POINT of the poem is the use of the "bad words." So, why would I look past them? This is not a college classroom, this is a mandatory public classroom. Attendance is required.I have a clue.
Out of all the poetry in the world they could have found more beautiful poems then that! That is inapropiate. Even tho the world is changing teachers should not handing that kind of stuff out to students. Its really sad that people have no morals anymore. People wonder why kids are getting into trouble and getting pregnant. When you are in a job position like that you are influencing, shaping and help guiding these children to become great people and this is the crap some people feed to our kids!! Their is so many other poems out there that could have taught the lesson that they were tryin to teach than using such a poem like that!
It appears that Scarlotte Ann is posting under 3 or 4 different names here, and then "liking" them with her different fake names. Same poor grammar.Â
Yes, that poem was bad.  Are there more poems? How many? How many students were given poems? Where did the teachers get them? I'm sure they're not in any high school curriculum.  TEACHERS are paid well to teach formative minds worthwhile and useful things to prepare them for a lifetime of work. This is not included.  I'm amazed that the students who have posted in this column compare the classroom to TV programs, movies and other similar brain-dead activities. Which just proves how immature they are. No wonder our kids are not graduating with an education these days. They need to teach more Math & English and less of the nonsense classes. Half of the kids replying can't even spell.  Both of the teachers need to be fired because they have no common sense and evidently don't realize they're supposed to be teaching children to be productive adults. They're missing the necessary "teacher gene". Â
These poems are not bad to show high school students at all there are more provacative things on tv and movies. Times are changing things are not the same as they were when these kids parents were in high school. i AGREE with every thing Stefan said. These teachers should not get into trouble other than a slap on the wrist. And this may not be a nation of bikers but we are a nation of liers and double standards and closed minds.. The supposed adults of this nation are being pretty immature for making a big deal about this poem business. Kids in high school go through and do more than what you parents are thinking your little angels do when you are not around.. especially in sunnyside i mean cmon grow up people..Â
 @Paul23 So Paul, you are saying that there is nothing wrong with this poem at all?  Sick.  When you are my age and you have young high school children calling you immature, you will see how immature you really sound.  Calling everyone immature because they don't agree with your stance reveals your maturity level.  Also, do your homework and learn to spell liar and provocative.  Slap on the wrist ...Â
the only thing more obscene is to read the comments from some people who think its no big deal, if my kid talked like that in school he would be asked to leave the classroom, what gives with the double standard?
Seriously? You want to get two teachers fired over a poem? Come on. THIS IS SUNNYSIDE. I heard worse things than that before I was 13 and Im a senior in high school this year and still trying to be a virgin! I admit making them reread the poems in front of the class might make kids uncomfortable and was probably unnecissary but a POEM isnt going to make your kid have sex, your kid's "eye candy" will. The poems are just more peices of literature that most likely put your kid's already-existing-thoughts into WORDS. As a parent of hormonal teens, all you can do is have a "talk" with them and hope for the best.
 @Literature Student I am glad you are restraining from the pressures of having sex.  Someone has taught you to have some respect for yourself, but until you become a parent, don't act like this is an everyday thing for those of us that are trying to put some self-respect into our children.  This is a personal decision some of us are making.  We know there are influences out there, most of us aren't stupid nor innocent, but we are trying to protect OUR kids the best we can.  I do hope your school superintendent is aware that those in SUNNYSIDE SCHOOLS just accept this and unfortunately, expect it~SAD!!!!
 @Literature Student REALLY?  You're going to defend a poem like this, with spelling and grammar like that? Â
If these teachers did give these out to students then I'm guessing the teachers got exactly what they wanted. Â Payed leave. Â Rewarded once again, for bad behavior. Â
"NANCY" you didnt mind spreading the teachers names , have some testicular fortitude and do the same. grow up . this is the real world. have you seen mtv? they dont play music, they show teen moms and sex . these kids say/seen/done/and hear much worse. perhaps its poor judgement, but too take someones livelyhood ? Â get real.
 @Stefan 1. "Nancy" is most likely a woman, therefore she would not have the "fortitude" to which you refer.  2.  We are not a nation of bikers.  So the "language" which you find common and widespread, may not be as prevalent as you may think. 3. If these were male teachers, they would be fired in a heartbeat.  Don't be sexist.
@Stefan...actually, taking their livlihood puts an abrupt end to THEIR interaction with our children on a daily basis. Every little bit helps. These hacks don't deserve jobs teaching children when they impose their progressiveness onto our children without consent.Â
this poem is pure art, you just got to be mature about, read it and go on with life. i don't see why it has to be a big deal. all this talk about how bad it is just sounds like crying to me. Oh no! my child just read a pornographic poem his/her life may dramatically change it will never be the same!:O.  Or , Oh no my child isn't old enough to know about this stuff he/she shouldn't read this it may hurt his/her brain?. in health class the teachers actually show a woman giving birth and it has her cooch on the big screen. you would think that the video is worse than a poem with words. Oh no! now your going to go complain about the health class right?. people seem get offended to easy for little things, whoever reported this and everybody else who agrees they should be fired are exactly like the radical Muslims who get pissed off and kill people/burn down buildings because America makes a cartoon of their prophet. this is mainly the reason why our freedom in America is going in the trash because everyone takes offense to everything now.
@SHSStudent ever try being modest? Expect it, demand it, and live it. It's what America is lacking. Ever wonder why the country is in the toilet? It's because everyone always wants to see how shocking they can be. Â
 @SHSStudent http://www.manolith.com/files/2012/08/mckayla-not-impressed.pngÂ
this is not art, its pornography. The teachers should be fired. Another reason our public schools are failing!
Sounds like an attempt to humiliate the students and if that is art then art has taken a sicken twist from when i was in H.S last.
i think a middle ground approach is needed here .. i find the subject matter more towards art and creative writing yes its erotic in a sense.. but to condone one for doing this is stiffiling ones approach to that genre.. its no better than the current music scene .. or that is being shown on the television.. of acessable over the computer.. in a sense it is showing a broader view of art or a story line to the younger masses. i think the subject matter is fine and at some point they will find out about it.. i think its all about choices good or bad but to demand someones head for offering this reading is incorrect.. this is more risque than its offensive.. some of the prudes out there have their heads in the sand and need to be woke up.. i think at one time or another we as youth were subjected to this way of expressionalisim.. to me this is another issue with self esteem than its about anything else ..
I hope they are fired. I'm not prude. I have probably done all the things in that poem. If not, our parents sure did, or else we wouldn't be here. Actually, I have never puked on fig newtons. But you have no concept of who I am, what I do, or why I arrive at my opinion of this poem. I can assure you though, it's not because I am "prude".   Even that word in itself is on the prude side, Bart.  It IS possible to be disgusted by the poem in that it's being given to high school students in a classroom setting. Save it for college, it's on your own dime then.
If after the investigaton it is found that these two teachers did indeed give out these poems to their students they should be fired immediately. I have read comments by students/former students and I understand that they may be great people, but if they did give out reading material like this, they seriously lack common sense. First of all, I agree, kids listen to things just as bad with their music, they watch movies they shouldn't be allowed to watch...., BUT us as parents are "responsible" for our children while they are under the age of 18 or out of school and it is up to us whether we allow these kinds of things with our kids. If I would have gotten that poem sent to me and asked my permission from a teacher for it to be given to my kid the answer would have been ABSOLUTELY NOT!! We all know that kids do and say things they shouldn't, but isn't it our job to encourage them to do the right things and it certainly should be the jobs of the teachers to set a good example and also encourage proper behavior/language.... I can bet that if a student was in the hallway and said the F word they would be in trouble for it, so why would a teacher give out material using that kind of language? In response to the comment made about "your messed up kids...", just because some kids are struggling and choosing the wrong direction at times, doesn't mean that they don't have loving, concerned, attentive parents AND either way, it is not the place of a teacher to add to the problems. I am pretty sure there are THOUSANDS of poems out there that would have been appropriate. With all that being said, I really hope this is all a misunderstanding and that the teachers really didn't give out these poems, but if they did, they should be held accountable. END OF STORY.
Did you guys even think to wait to ask if any of this was true? Â I, personally, have witnessed MANY teenagers lying to their parents to cause a tough teacher to get fired so they can have an easy ride through school because all administration is scared of the parents (even while attending Sunnyside High School). Â I am so sick of idiots who jump to conclusions. Â Maybe you called the wrong number when calling Sacha Mike? Â Maybe you never left a message and she screens her calls. Â I know I do... as does most of the world nowadays. Â Maybe you were only calling the school, in which case they would not forward the call on to her, DUH. Â These teachers need the benefit of the doubt until PROVEN guilty. Â My goodness, I have never in my life seen such idiocy by a TV station and/or parents. Â Seriously... why go to a TV station BEFORE going to the school administration? Â As a parent, I would be going to the administration asking for backup FIRST. Â But that obviously did not happen because the parents were too thoughtless and did not ever think that their child might be in the wrong. Â Good luck with this attempt.
 @Carissa Smith its called rallying the troops
It sounds to me they were trying to humiliate the students and embarass them.
Just think how much more outrage we would be seeing and hearing right now if only these two teachers were male. Â This should get both teachers fired. FIRED! Â Â "Scarlotte Anne" Â - Â Answering every post that offends you makes you look desperate.
Mrs Mike is the best teacher I ever had attending SHS. I also achieved the highest scores in English and Writing on the WASL. I was in the first graduating class to have to actually pass the WASL. What are these kids reading in her class they aren't hearing in rap songs? This is ridiculous. Yeah, the content in those poems is questionable, but she would have never given an assignment out that had no meaning behind it. News flash, parents... your kids are all out there having sex and making bad decisions. The only reason people are getting mad about this is because they want a scapegoat. Your kids are already having sex, getting pregnant, and making poor decisions due to improper parenting. Stop blaming everyone else for your problems. Mrs Mike, I am certain, is responsible for a great many students passing the tests they need in order to graduate. So, what you're all saying, is that you want to fire a teacher because you want someone to point your finger at. Have fun with that, when all your kids are even more stupid than they are now because you all decided to make a misguided attempt at being attentive parents, when you've probably already ruined your child's chance at being a productive member of society.
 @Scarlotte Anne "kids are already having sex, getting pregnant, and making poor decisions."  Not every high-schooler is doing that Miss Scarlotte--  If 100% of the high school student body in Sunnyside are doing those things, then, Miss Scarlotte  the horrible rumors we here about Sunnyside must be true.  The few kids that live by a different moral code then you obviously did, Miss Scarlotte, deserve to have teachers that don't spread filthy media around the classroom.   I'm sorry YOUR parents didn't raise you with "proper" parenting, but they are not to blame for the choices YOU  made.
@Scarlotte Anne If I were you I would think before I opened my mouth about how parents are raising their children. Apparently yours did not teach you respect. Just because kids are out doing things that are "questionable" does not mean that their parents are to blame. I would never agree for my child to read something like this even after they have reached adulthood. If they want to behave this way and read things like this they can do it on their own time. If these teachers did hand these poems out to the students it was definately a bad call and they should be let go. I would not want this type of thing taught to my kids in school where they should have better role models. I'm guessing you do not have children of your own. When you grow up and have your own children you might rethink how you feel about things like this.
 @Scarlotte Anne So where is the line drawn? Where are the bounderies? Just because kids are making bad decisions and this generation is messed up does not give a teacher leeway to teach whatever they want and how they want. There is always a level of professionalism that must be carried out. And what these teachers have done is out of order. They may be good teachers and good job on passing the wasl, but they crossed the line. It's not a matter of pointing a finger on them to blame them for the bad choices kids make, it's a matter of conduct. And they broke the rules. If the rules were different then fine, but this was very explicit for this kind of setting and they will have to face the consequence for their actions. It would be the same thing if they had embezzelled money. The truth is that even in order to watch explicit material you have to click to confirm that you're at least 18 years old. Most high school students are under 18, so yeah, the parents have a right to be outraged.Â
@Scarlotte Anne There is a difference between learning in school and rap songs. The teachers have no right pushing that down the students throats. As for rap songs, dont get me started
@Scarlotte Anne - You say these kids are making bad decisions. Bad decisions are allowable -- unless you do it on behalf of your job and it leads to ... this.  No one is blaming these teachers for their problems. They are angry that they gave out poems that were erotic in nature and well beyond what would be deemed acceptable teaching material. Do understand these women get paid to do their jobs and to do them correctly. This means not doing something so out there - that the press is involved and students as well as their parents are outraged.  And btw - this is not about the students, or the parents > this is about two teachers, so let's stay on topic.
There is absolutely NO reason a child should be given that material in an educational setting, that is publicly funded. I don't care how many people think S.A. Griffen is "talented" or worthy of reading...that poem was highly inappropriate for discussion in a classroom setting. Before you think I don't know what I am talking about, I was an AP Honors English student throughout highschool, and minored in Literature in college. I have read a diverse amount of poetry, essays, and thousands of works by authors from apostles to atheists. I can tell you from my own decades worth of life experiences, that this was in extremely poor taste, and judgement, and those women are fools for thinking they are being progressive, and forward thinking. Most of the adults who are familiar with what is going on here, will instantly recognize their ignorance and lack of teaching experience. Firing them would be the most appropriate action. Retaining them would be folly, and the district would be highly scrutinized by parents come the next vote for a school bond.
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as a parent of one of the kids who takes that class and has read that poem i was not shocked about it kids these days have already learned about the birds and the bees by that age. i think they are taking it way to far -signed Concern Parent.Â
@Concerned Parent - If your a concerned parent, why does it have Scarlotte Anne's photo and link to her profile in the side lower-right corner? (Someone that says they was " I was in the first graduating class"). Please stop reposting under different ID's to get your points across
@Concerned Parent this poem is MUCH more than birds and bees, and you know it. If this is the new "normal" for you, then it's time we put the brakes on it. I'm not ok with it. I know a lot more people are not ok with it. There's no reason we have to give in to loose morals and filthy reading material for our children.Â
I graduated from SHS not that long ago and  I knew Mrs. Mike. If she passed out that sort of reading assignment it was for a really good and educational reason. She is not one to idly give out ridiculous assignments. The lessons that students learn from her are ones that stick with them for a very long time after. Don't be so hasty in judgement unless you know what she was trying to teach her students.
I am currently a student at Sunnyside High School, I personally know Mrs. Mike. She is the most understanding, intelligent, and the most outspoken person I know! We live in a society where everything is judged. Whats wrong with giving out material and reading that is contreversial. Are you going to make big fuss if a college professor made your son/daughter read it?? They are doing us a favor and letting us expand our way of thinking and preparing us for the unrated adult world. I suggest you guys stop living in the 1950's and get out of your conservative closet and open your mind that firing my favorite teachers won't do any good. It would just show the school districts and the town of Sunnyside that we are afraid of moving on to a higher way of thinking.
@Sonia Because it appears they should be teaching you grammar and spelling long before they introduced poetry like this. That's almost more troubling.
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Moreover, it is "I" the taxpaying ADULT here who has the right to speak up about this. Conservative or not, you better get used to it, because the real world you have to deal with people like me who vote NO to filthy garbage being taught to my children like this. And there are a lot of us who are getting sick and tired of hearing that this is ok to have works like this appear as reading materials in classrooms. Firing your "favorite" teachers will do some good. It will get rid of them.
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Keep in mind that just because you can publish filthy words and get your friends and cohorts to like it, doesn't really, in fact, make it a good poem.
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A higher way of thinking does not constitute a vulgar way of thinking.Â
 @thehellyousay That's a way to be a good adult; insulting a teenager's grammar and intelligence. High five! Do they make you pay taxes on welfare? I had no idea. Also, when insulting someone's grammar - don't start sentences with "because".
@Scarlotte Anne You seem very guillible, and not very bright, despite your high scores on the WASL. It's what you do with what you learn, not what you don't do. In this case, when parents are aware that a bad decsion has been made on a teacher's part, we have every right to speak up, which is what we are doing.   You haven't earned the stripes yet, to be able to comment on real-world experiences from an adult perspective.Â
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Think about this. Not every child in this world listens to rap music, not every child encounters vulgar words in his/her daily routine.   Though this may be your routine experience in your little world at SHS, I assure you, it's not "what everyone else is doing". Why not choose to lift up your morals, and expectations of the teachers who are guiding you? Why should you have to settle for this, simply because it's what everyone else is doing?   Why not be the type of girl who stands up against pornography, vulgarity, and immoral standards?Â
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Or is it simply easier to be part of the other side, and pretend that it's normal?
 @Doodle Bug  I think that you are mistaking the "Likes" with peoples profiles.  Do you see where I like one of your posts above?  Â
@Scarlotte Anne Scarlottee Ann you already have been posting under another ID to get your say - it even has in your profile that you posted them. Please stop because this really is compromising your credibility.
It seems unbelievable that these poems were actually given to students. But being the critical thinker that I am.... the poems in question weren't listed on the syllabus.  Are we sure the teachers gave them to students, and it's not just a student prank? I mean what teacher in their right mind would do this?  I think before we rush to judgment we should make sure the poems were in deed given out to students. If they were then these teachers not only need to be discharged, but they need therapy.Â
I graduated from Sunnyside, and it was the greatest school. I really think that the two teachers need to be fired immediately. What they did was horrible. They are suppost to be examples to the kids they are teaching. There is just too much that some teachers are getting away with that is very unappropriate. What has happened to morals and self respect!
I agree with you Carol, that was back then. What a waste of money on that high school, for what? For things like this? I bet those teachers will get away with it, just like they all do. There are so many teachers in sunnyside that are there just to collect a paycheck. They don't even care about our children it's all about the paycheck. They absolutely don't care if they learn or not, eat or not, graduate or not. No wonder most are failing, and barely graduating with this kind of teaching who wouldn't.
We have hit a new low in society!! This is horrible and to say this garbage is "poetry", what an insult to true poets. Not only is this disgusting, it is just bad writing!!!
No wonder kids today are so messed up and confused in various areas of their lives. Â We entrust our children to college educated adults and those so-called adults introduce them to garbage most parents have tried to shelter them from!!! Â Â
I do hope that the only good thing that comes from this, is that  parents will take a closer look at what their children are being assigned and take an active role in assisting them in these assignments.  Â
Please God be with these kids~they ARE our future!!!!
 @B Little This reminds me of that scene in The Music Man where they are talking about the "smutty books" Marian keeps in the City Library and the ladies say  "Dirty books! Chaucer, Rabelais, Balzac!! in the woods eating sandwiches, and drinking directly out of jugs with innocent young girls."
 @B Little Parents don't care until someone gets bored and makes a fuss. Kids are messed up and confused because their parents send them off to school every day expecting teachers to do their parenting FOR them. Get off your high horse.
@Scarlotte Anne @B Little I absolutely DO NOT send my children off to school every day and exect teachers to parent them. You might be shocked, but there are parents who really are involved in their children's lives to the point that they guide them, and raise them successfully to adulthood without ever having to rely on trashy poetry to do so.   If any of my children's teachers gave this poem to them, you can better belive I would not sit still and let it ride.