A teacher in Indianapolis is accused of instructing her students to draw Black people picking cotton as a part of a Black History Month assignment, causing outrage among parents.
The teacher allegedly told her students at Fall Creek Valley Middle School to depict the culture of the 1800s in the northern and southern states, according to a statement by the school district, The Kansas City Star reports.
A student at the school notified her parents about the assignment. Along with other students, Ramond and Cindy Clark's daughter refused to complete the project and took pictures of some of the students' drawings.
"It disturbed her to a point where she was like, 'I got to call mom and dad,'" Ramond told WTHR. "Picking cotton is forced labor. It's not a part of our heritage."
The Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township sent out a statement saying its schools are "committed to providing high-quality instruction to all students," the Star reports.
The school district attempted to clarify the reason behind the project and said the assignment was "to draw an image that depicted economic life in the south vs. economic life in the north during that time. This addition took place in one social studies class and was not a part of the instructional plan."
Ramond and Cindy said they want an adjusted Black History Month curriculum that allows for a layered perspective of the African American experience.
"There are so many other things that could have been discussed, like inventors and business owners," Ramond said.
