A Swiss high school teacher is under fire for presenting students with a physics equation in which a man commits suicide off a real-life bridge — where locals notoriously go to end their lives.
“Mr. Durant decided to end his life, specifically by jumping off of the Pont Bessières bridge. He reaches the bottom with a speed of 77 kilometres per hour. How high must the bridge be?” the physics question asks.
‘Mr. Durant decided to end his life, specifically by jumping off of the Pont Bessières bridge. He reaches the bottom with a speed of 77 kilometres per hour. How high must the bridge be?’
- controversial physics question
The director of the high school, Schoolhouse Béthusy in Lausanne, called the equation “a tactless act,” but hasn’t said whether the unnamed teacher will be axed, news outlet 20 Minuten reported.
“We will ensure that something like this does not happen again in the future,” said school director Jean-François Borgeaud.
He added, “And we will meet with the students from his class to make sure that no one felt traumatized.”
Schools should teach sensitivity about suicide, a spokeswoman from the group Stop Suicide slammed.
“Imagine the pain felt by a student who perhaps lost a parent or another person close to them due to suicide,” said Irina Inostroza of Stop Suicide to 20 Minuten.
She added, “We encourage all schools to approach the topic of suicide with good judgement and care. One should neither trivialize it, nor speak about it in brutal language. The subject of death is always a shock for all concerned.”