Prisons are not known to be centers of decorum, so it would be possible for language used in the jailhouse to creep up when inmates go to schools to talk to students. That’s a possibility parents in Waterbury are not willing to put up with.
The problem surfaced two weeks ago when an inmate allegedly used some foul language in front of Wallace Middle School students.
Linn Asplund, whose stepson and granddaughter attend Wallace, complained to the Board of Education that the children had heard foul and racially charged language from prisoners, the Waterbury Republican reports.
Through a program called "Project Safe Neighborhoods," police officers, medical experts and inmates occasionally go into the schools and speak with children about gangs, peer pressure, drugs and other issues.
School officials have promised better communication with parents about future speaking engagements involving inmates, the Republican-American reports.
On Monday, Police Superintendent Neil O'Leary told the board that any cussing was an exception and not the rule, the Republican-American reports.
Participants in the program are warned against bad language, he said. He had not heard any confirmation that foul language was actually used, but told the board he'd concede someone had probably slipped.
