Tampabay: Osama, here's egg on your face

A controversial egg drop project designed to send physics students' projectile produce hurtling toward a poster of Osama bin Laden was given the go-ahead Tuesday by Dixie Hollins High School officials.

"The decision was made late this morning by my principal Jeffrey Haynes that the drop was going to go on as planned," said teacher Patricia Thomas, who paid $500 to have the 9- by 9-foot poster made to tie the events of Sept. 11 to the assignment.

Although they initially were supportive of the idea, officials became concerned the drop could be viewed by some as offensive and culturally insensitive. Thomas was told to forgo the poster, which features a bull's-eye on bin Laden's face. The drop from a 35-foot high cherry picker could continue.

Pinellas County Schools spokesman Ron Stone said the school has since reconsidered the project, which Thomas and her students had been planning for three weeks. She is set to pick up the poster today. "I think the feelings are still the same but they're going to go ahead and go through with it, and we'll see what happens," Stone said.

He noted the initial concerns related to possible conflicts between the event and the message of tolerance the district is trying to encourage. The issue was "is this sending the right message, but at the same time it becomes a question of academic freedom on the teacher's part."

The egg drop is set for 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Dixie Hollins football field, 4940 62nd St. N.

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