Texas charter school reinstates teacher who asked students to list positive aspects of slavery
A charter school in Texas is reinstating a teacher who was placed on administrative leave after assigning students to write a list of the positive aspects of slavery.
Great Hearts Texas Superintendent Aaron Kindel wrote a letter to parents this week announcing the teacher would return from leave and remain in her position on the San Antonio-area campus.
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“After conducting a fair and thorough review we found that, while the assignment was certainly not consistent with Great Hearts philosophy, there was no harmful intent on the part of the teacher and the broader context of the treatment of slavery in the course left no ambiguity regarding its immorality,” read Kindel’s letter, which was obtained by San Antonio Express-News.
“As such, the teacher will be re-instated after training is completed,” it continued.
The teacher, whose name has not been released to the public, was placed on leave in April after a photo of the assignment went viral on social media.
On the worksheet shared by the Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), a student had only written “N/A” under the “positives” column.
This is absolutely unacceptable. A @GreatHeartsTX charter school in San Antonio asked students to complete a “balanced view” assignment about slavery, requiring them to list the “positive aspects” of slave life. The teacher worked from a @pearson textbook. pic.twitter.com/mzEWty68tB
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) April 19, 2018
The charter school system also said it removed the textbook, “Prentice Hall Classics: A History of the United States,” from its classrooms following the incident and announced it was conducting an audit of the material.
Another elementary school came under fire in January after students assigned a worksheet requiring them to list both the “good” and “bad” reasons for slavery.
That school, Our Redeemer Lutheran School in Wauwatosa, Wis., wrote an apology to parents calling the homework assignment racially offensive and saying it “showed a lack of sensitivity.”
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