School Candid about Discussing Candide

Burlington, MA Patch: At Tuesday night’s School Committee meeting, member Mike Desimone raised an issue with an upcoming play that the 7th and 8th grade B.E.A.M. students were scheduled to attend the week of Oct. 3. Since the meeting, Patch received word that the field trip has been cancelled. B.E.A.M., which was started in 1980, stands for Burlington’s Extended Academic Model and it is described on the school’s web site as pull-out enrichment program for students identified as academically talented. Desimone said that parents expressed concern about the educational relevance and age appropriateness of the play.
Conti identified the play in question as Voltaire's “Candide” which is showing at the Huntington Theater in Boston.