Pennsylvania School Board Pulls the Plug on CNN, Removes Mandatory Streaming of Affiliated Program From Homerooms

The Norwin School board in Pennsylvania has pulled the plug on CNN, voting to end mandatory streaming of a CNN-affiliated program in its middle school amid arguments that such broadcasts are biased.

The vote was by a razor-thin margin, 5-4, on Monday to end requiring homeroom teachers to show students CNN 10.

CNN 10 is described as “compact on-demand news broadcasts ideal for explanation seekers on the go or in the classroom.”

A representative for the district told Fox News that “On February 14, 2022 the Norwin School Board voted and approved the following: To remove watching TV during homeroom at the Middle School unless it is either student, teacher or administrator driven to allow students to socialize and interact with each other.”

“It was further clarified that the board will allow teachers to use discretion and broadcast videos from all sources, including videos pertaining to patriotic holidays,” the representative added.

According to Trib Live, the patriotic videos include ones regarding events such as Veterans Day or the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The outlet reported that the TVs will be off unless the television will be shut off in the classrooms unless students, teachers or administrators want them to watch the broadcast or videos pertaining to those topics.

It was also reported that CNN 10 was first added to required viewing material in 2019 in the district, after schools had previously viewed similar programs from Channel One. 

An initial resolution sought to eliminate the watching of any television during the homeroom period before classes begin for the day, but a compromise was reached as one teacher noted that there are times when the teachers use the television to show patriotic-related programming.

That same teacher, Megan Zobb, however, told the board there is no desire by teachers to indoctrinate students and that teachers do not want this kind of micromanaging by the school board.