Letter: Son watching DVDs in summer school

My son has to attend summer school at Berner Middle School in the Massapequa District, since Plainedge did not offer the classes my son needed.

I find it nothing short of pathetic that I paid nearly $1,000 for two classes for my 17-year-old son, and he is watching DVDs for an hour in both classes. Nassau County is one of the highest-taxed counties in the United States, and I had to pay out of pocket for two classes -- only to have my son come home to tell me he watched "Forrest Gump" today and "Pleasantville" last week.

These films, fantastic as they are, may have a historic lesson, but if our high school students are not aware of the ignorance, apathy and gross conduct of segregation and racial inequalities, as depicted in "Pleasantville," then we have a serious problem.

This is electronic baby-sitting, for heaven's sake. I paid for my son to pull himself up by his bootstraps and further his understanding of U.S. history, only to have him watch DVDs. As a film major myself, I could have home-schooled him with my DVD player.

Eileen Scanlon, Bethpage