SUPER SIZE ME - SPURLOCK SHOCKS HIGH SCHOOL

SUPER SIZE ME film-maker MORGAN SPURLOCK shocked a Pennsylvania high school a Friday (24MAR06) when joked about the intelligence of MCDonald's employees and marijuana-smoking teachers. Spurlock, who was nominated for an Oscar for his 2004 documentary on the health risks of MCDonald's food, spoke for an hour to students and teachers at the Hatboro-Horsham High School's health fair in Horsham. While some of the pupils enjoyed his entertaining speech, special education students and the teachers did not. During the talk, Spurlock mocked "retarded kids in the back wearing helmets", which prompted teachers to remove the special needs students from the lecture. The school's Superintendent WILLIAM LESSA says, "If you put the whole package together, the use of the F-word and poking fun at teachers and the comments about special-needs students, it just wasn't appropriate." Spurlock claims he was baffled by the school's response, claiming he has made similar comments at other educational establishments. He remarks, "The greatest lesson those kids learned today was the importance of free speech."