A Rascal Cartoon Character Sets Off a Controversy in S.C.

Once again, that rascal Bart Simpson is causing commotion in school. But this time, it’s not in the Fox network cartoon. It’s here in this city of 20,000 in northwestern South Carolina.

Parents and teachers want the school board to back off its tentative approval of the name Springfield for the district’s new $3.6-million elementary school. That’s the name of Bart’s school, and teachers say it’s hard enough to win respect from children without having a tie to a cartoon character known for bucking authority figures and disliking school.

“This is the Bible Belt; let’s be real,” said Greenwood County School District 50 spokesman Furman Miller Jr. “Some parents are offended by someone like Bart Simpson. He’s an obnoxious, talking-back little kid. He’s a rebel, and most kids today need to be more respectful. You don’t know how hard it is to deal with kids today.”

The whole episode began harmlessly enough just before Christmas, when school officials decided to make naming the new school a learning exercise. They asked students to choose a name and then compose essays on why theirs should be selected.

The only stipulation was that the name reflect the natural surroundings of the red-brick building scheduled for completion by August. The school, the 11th facility in a district of 8,800 students, is in a rural area outside town, across the street from a pumpkin patch.

The elementary school student who submitted “Springfield”--whom district officials have declined to name--wrote that his name was best because “the school is being built on a field and Spring is a happy season.”

Ten junior high students chose the Top 10 names, which were voted on by elementary students earlier this month. When the results were tabulated, Springfield won hands down: 1,254 votes of 3,233 cast. No. 2 “Skylight” got only 349 votes.

The school board voted Jan. 19 to go along with the students. Toward the end of the meeting, one board member, whom Miller also declined to identify, wondered whether anyone knew why Springfield was the overwhelming favorite.

“She said a parent had told her that it was the name of Bart’s school,” Miller said. “Most of us didn’t even know what was going on.”

Two days later, the county’s PTA/PTO Council, made up of leaders from parent-teacher groups from each school, voted unanimously to ask the school board to reconsider its choice.

“Our main concern is the general lack of respect for authority and the negative attitude toward education and teachers on the show,” said Jonathan Payne, the council’s chairman, who stressed that parents here are concerned, but not obsessed or frantic in their opposition.

“Maybe some children might pattern themselves after Bart or he might become the unofficial mascot,” he said.

What is not clear is whether the students set out to name the school after Bart’s. Teachers say no one ever discussed the show in class, and Supt. Michael McKenzie didn’t even know the name of Bart’s school until it was mentioned in the board meeting.

“We don’t know, but it’s very possible,” said Miller. “The media has a big influence.”

Payne said he doesn’t believe the students intentionally named the building for Bart Simpson’s school.

“My son is a third-grader and he said a lot of boys voted for field because it had athletic connotations,” Payne said.

Payne said guidance counselors will try to find out from students over the next few weeks why they liked the name.

Whatever the reason, folks around town have a few weeks to voice their opinions before the board makes a final decision. Miller said it will be a tough choice. District officials were the ones who turned the matter over the students in the first place.

“We asked for it, and we got it,” he said.

Antonia Coffman, “The Simpson’s” publicist, said that the show’s official response would come from Bart himself: “At least they didn’t call it ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ Elementary.”