Nightmare Vermont apologizes, pulls school shooting scene from show

(WCAX)
Published: Oct. 23, 2019 at 12:38 AM EDT
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A Halloween charity event in Essex Junction is apologizing to a Vermont school district for a scene some people say went too far.

The Slate Valley Unified Union School District says this year's show hit close to home with its opening performance of an alien invasion at a high school homecoming.

Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell said a school district staff member and many parents interpreted it as a school shooting. They were also upset that Fair Haven Union High School, where a man was accused of plotting a school shooting last year, was mentioned.

Olsen-Farrell says the staff member told her the first scene was set up as a school hallway and a character named Jake took a gun out of a locker.

They felt that name was too similar to Jack Sawyer, the man arrested and accused in the thwarted shooting plot at Fair Haven. Olsen-Farrell called the scene insensitive and thoughtless.

"My concern is that we shouldn't be using school violence. It's not a form of entertainment and we shouldn't be using that in performances," she said.

Board Chair Julie Finnegan also expressed disappointment.

"Until you live through this and your community lives through this, you have no idea the effect it can have on our community and our teachers in our buildings who come every day to teach our students and we really, really want people to know this is not OK," she said.

WCAX News also reached out to the director of Nightmare Vermont, Jana Beagley. She says she is deeply sorry for any pain and discomfort the scene caused and she understands the criticism from the Slate Valley community.

Beagley said the scene was misinterpreted and they failed in getting their anti-bullying and anti-violence message across. She also said there was no malicious intent in naming one of the characters Jake. They've since changed the name.

"We had no intention of referencing Jack Sawyer. We do understand from feedback that people felt the name sounded similar and that they had a response to that. We definitely did not mean for that to happen," Beagley said. "We had tried to be careful about what we said in that scene. But I think the subject matter was too inflammatory to begin with and that's why we've cut it."

The Slate Valley School District also criticized the show's reference to Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and faculty members were shot and killed in 2018.

Beagley says all school shooting references have been taken out of the show.

Olsen-Farrell says she is pleased but is still dismayed that the scene was ever in the performance.