everybody else. You are no different.
INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL / PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE DAY 1954
Principal: Your boy's... different, Mrs. Gump. Now, his I.Q. is
seventyfive.
Mrs. Gump: Well, we're all different, Mr. Hancock.
The principal sighs, then stands up.
INT. HALLWAY
Forrest sits outside the principal's office and waits.
Forrest: (voiceover) She wanted me to have the finest education,
so she took me to the Greenbow County Central School. I
met the principal and all.
The principal stands in front of Mrs. Gump. Forrest, sitting left,
listens.
Principal: I want to show you something, Mrs. Gump. Now, this is
normal.
The principal holds up a chart with a designations according to I.Q. and
points to the center of the graph, labeled "Normal." A red line below the
normal area is labeled "State Acceptance." The principal points to the
section below the acceptance line labeled "Below."
Principal: Forrest is right here. The state requires a minimum I.Q.
of eighty to attend public school, Mrs. Gump. He's gonna
have to go to a special school. Now, he'll be just fine.
Mrs. Gump: What does normal mean, anyway? He might be a bit on the
slow side, but my boy Forrest is going to get the same
opportunities as everyone else. He's not going to some
special school to learn to how to retread tires. We're
talking about five little points here. There must be
something can be done.
INT. HALLWAY
Forrest sits outside the principal's office.
Principal: We're a progressive school system. We don't want to see
anybody left behind.
INT. PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE