An effigy of George W. Bush in a coffin surrounded by snakes in a local high school’s haunted house display is creating a stir among some.
Buddy Coats took his three children, ages 7, 6 and 4, to the Henryville Jr.-Sr. High School’s Haunted Halls event Friday, which was put on by the student council there. He said he saw a cardboard cutout of Bush’s head in a coffin with rubber snakes, fake blood and a knife all with the display.
“At first, I thought that’s a little bit over the top and when I started thinking about it, I was really kind of taken aback. That’s going over the line,” Coats said. “When you open your school to the public and that’s one of your displays, I wondered where’s the supervision over this?”
Principal Troy Albert said he was out of town at the time, but said the event was intended to be a nice one for the community put on by the student council, which is led by sponsor Christene Evans.
Evans said about 500 community members participated in the activity last weekend.
“The students that were involved in the planning and decorating of Haunted Halls are all honor students, and I assure you that there was no ill intention behind the scene involving George W. Bush,” Evans said via e-mail. “The students were not trying to make a political statement or be disrespectful to the president.”
Evans said students did all the decorating and planning for the event.
“I know that the students were in charge of the activity. I know that the issue of President Bush in the coffin was not in any way intended to be distasteful or disrespectful. The students were not making a political statement or demonstrating against our nation,” Albert said via e-mail. “I know that the students were striving to make a difference in our community and I believe with the overwhelming turnout, the students were successful in this activity.”
That doesn’t make Coats feel any better.
“Surely, someone has to look at it [first],” he said. “I know that if that had been a picture of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama or whoever, I’m sure that wouldn’t have been allowed.
“To pick one of our presidents who spoke at our school district and was voted in by the people to serve two terms ... I thought it was bad.”
Coats said his children asked who the person in the coffin was, but he didn’t want to tell them.
“I just think [school officials] should monitor that more closely [in the future],” Coats said. “I think they should offer an apology if it offended anybody.”
Though Coats said he was offended, Albert said he has not received any negative phone calls from the community about the event. Albert said he’s received only positive feedback from students and staff.
Evans said she, too, has received a lot of positive feedback.
Albert said the event also allowed children a safe place to trick-or-treat. Evans said funds from this year’s event will go back into the school, such as by paying for Spirit Week, the Homecoming dance and more.
Clark County
Effigy of President Bush has some upset
Henryville school’s student council hosted haunted house event
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