Teachers at a Pittsburgh public school assigned reading homework to first graders about running from the cops. The district swears the assignment was not part of their regular curriculum but the product of a company called Kadeen Whitby. Not only was the worksheet offensive but contained grammatical errors as well.
Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Superintendent Anthony Hamlet released this statement:
“I was dismayed to learn of the inappropriate homework assignment that was distributed to first-grade students at Pittsburgh Linden PreK-5.
The homework assignment, which has been circulated throughout social media, has justifiably caused outrage among families, staff and community. First, let me be clear; the worksheet is not a part of any District curriculum or intervention program. Not only does the content send the wrong message to our students, but it also does not meet our expectations for student instruction.
“We continue to support teacher autonomy to supplement classroom materials to meet the needs of their students. We know that this incident is not a reflection of our very skilled and talented teacher workforce.
“We are committed to ensuring that all materials placed in front of our students are culturally responsive, validating and affirming their cultural and ethnic identities. We also recognize it is our responsibility to alert educators of their blind spots related to implicit bias, colorblindness, and micro-aggressions. “
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The District said it will launch a further investigation into the matter.
