Parents object to 'suicide' assignment

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COULOISY, France, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A class assignment to write an essay about suicide has upset parents of the students at a school in northern France, officials say.

The topic was "John wrote a letter to his wife before putting his plan into execution [note: suicide]. Imagine this letter," le Parisien reported Friday.

The exercise upset some parents, who contacted officials at the College Louis-Bouland in Couloisy.

One parent questioned what the teacher wanted the students to learn.

"They want what? They learn to justify if they want to hang?" the parent asked.

The parent added: "In light of the news and suicides more common among young people, I do not see what's so funny."

The parents reported the assignment to the police, who declined to take action.

Police Inspector Elisabeth Laporte said the topic "may seem awkward and sensitive [but] for the moment, I do not have the necessary elements to make a judgment on the pedagogical relevance."