A teacher has been suspended for telling students to reenact the Michael Brown shooting. A mother of a 6th grader in the class at Brantley Elementary took to Facebook to complain:
I am absolutely shocked by what my 6th grade child come home telling me that happened in school(Brantley Elementary). His teacher made them reenact the two current shooting of the young black male’s… The white students had to play the police officer. She even has them get on the internet and research how many times the young man was shot where he was shot at. That is absurd to me then you turn around and make them reenact every bit of it including the shooting…Then sit in class and tells them our black children can not walk in their own neighborhood without white people shooting them and she hated to sound racist but whatever…. Sounds like someone’s racist to me, and to me they are teaching these children to hate one another when we’re supposed to be teaching them to love one another…
It’s one thing to talk about the shooting in a reasonable manner with students. But it’s absurd to instruct students to act out the shooting in a skit, especially based on unofficial accounts of the officer shooting a surrendering Michael Brown. Whatever happened to waiting for all the facts? Sounds like this teacher is more interested in pushing a racial agenda and should be fired for doing so.
At this point the teacher has been put on administrative leave by the Dallas County Schools Superintendent of Education, according to the Selma Times Journal. Here is what he had to say about it:
Dallas County Schools Superintendent of Education Don Willingham said an instructor was teaching about current events, as planned, when someone brought up the Brown shooting. He said the class conducted a “skit” about the Brown incident, but declined to give further details of the “skit” or who suggested it. …
“We wish the conversation didn’t have to take place, but it’s been reported to us and we’re addressing it as quick as we can,” Willingham said.
Strong said the school doesn’t make a practice of teaching violence, but instead teaches standards.
“Brantley’s culture does not support division,” Strong said. “We do recognize diversity, but we do not support division. Our culture is a strong culture.”
The teacher was put on administrative leave, with pay, which is standard procedure according to the superintendent.