Education
Atlanta parents angry over math word problems referencing slavery
Terrance Arnett and several other parents complained to school officials at Beaver Ridge Elementary, who say the teachers were trying to incorporating the students’ history lessons into their math problems.
Atlanta, GA – The homework may have looked ordinary, but a closer look left some Atlanta parents outraged.
“I was furious at that point in time,” said parent Terrance Arnett.
Furious over a word problem that read, “Each tree had 56 oranges. If 8 slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?”
Another asked, “If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in 1 week?”
“I’m having to explain to my 8 year old why slavery or slave or beatings is in a math problem, so that hurts,” said Arnett.
Angry Atlanta parents
Terrance Arnett and several other parents complained to school officials at Beaver Ridge Elementary, who say the teachers were trying to incorporate the students history lessons into their math problems.
“We understand that there are concerns about these questions and we agree that these questions were not appropriate,” Sloan Roach, with Gwinett County Public Schools.
The district has destroyed the worksheets, and has promised to work with teachers but that’s not enough for many of the angered Atlanta parents.
“Whoever put together this paperwork and everything else, the schools and everything shouldn’t teach it this way,” said parent Christopher Braxton.