CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Some parents and guardians of children in the Jolliff Middle School anime club were notified of explicit content accidentally shared in a club meeting, according to a letter from the school’s principal.

“My two jobs specifically as a father are to protect and provide. And I should feel like the school is on the same page as I am when it comes to protection,” said a father of a student.

The school has not released which show was playing.

The father of the student who wishes to remain anonymous said he googled the anime and was shocked by the nature of the video. He said it was too inappropriate for middle school aged kids.

“I’m just disgusted that they got this far,” the father said.

Parents received an emailed letter from Principal John Close saying he was alerted on Monday of the incident that occurred on Oct. 30. As part of a club meeting, a staff member allowed students to select a new show or episode that would be chosen at random.

The staff member did not vet or preview the selections and one episode shown contained sexually explicit content. Several minutes of the episode were shown before it was stopped, the letter reads.

“I do not believe, based on my investigation, that it was the sponsor’s intention/plan to show this content, but it was in very poor judgment to show something that had not been properly vetted for its appropriateness,” the letter states. “The staff member’s decision and actions are being handled as a personnel matter. And I take responsibility for not providing better oversight, monitoring, and guidance.”

“I think this was all an accident 100%. I don’t think that this was intentional by any means. We’ve never had any problems with that teacher, never had any problems with Anime Club. I think that there should be some kind of administrative action. I don’t think that that person should be fired,” said the parent.

Close proceeded to apologize for the lack of oversight — the club sponsor now being required to send parents a list of the shows he plans to view in the upcoming meetings through Dec. 31. All selections are not to exceed a PG rating.

“I think every parent needs to take a little more initiative including myself, on making sure that our kids are protected when it comes to certain things. I know the anime world is a very treacherous world because I know there’s good side of fandom and good and bad sides of anime,” said the parent.

The school released the following statement:

We are aware of the incident involving the Anime Club at Jolliff Middle School. The principal has addressed this with a letter to parents of students in the club, expressing our commitment to ensuring that all materials shared in school-sponsored activities align with our educational and age-appropriate standards. Upon learning of the matter, the school administration conducted an immediate review of the Anime Club’s resources and has taken appropriate steps to address this situation with the club sponsor. This includes reinforcing guidelines and expectations to ensure that all content shared within the club is suitable for students. The principal, staff, and club advisors are working together to provide a safe, positive environment for all students in our extracurricular programs.

Chesapeake Public Schools takes situations like this seriously, and we remain committed to the safety and well-being of our students.

Sincerely,

Chris Vail

The club uses an anime viewing platform titled “Crunchy Roll” that does have a “Content Advisory” listed for each title and this will be used to determine the appropriateness of shows/episodes going forward, along with administrative preview for approval.

“Like any club, students in the anime club find a sense of community in their shared interest,” the letter states. “My hope is that students will continue to participate in the club this year, however, I understand if you do not wish for your child to continue as a member at this time. Please notify me if so.”