Principal Apologizes After Black Students Portray Slaves During Class

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Principal Apologizes After Black Students Are Forced To Portray Slaves During Class

According to Fox News, the principal of an elementary school in Washington D.C. has been forced to apologize after black fifth-grade students were asked to portray slaves during a lesson on the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Carrie Broquard, the Lafayette Elementary School Principal, sent a letter home to parents explaining that the lesson would not be offered in the future after the “assignment turned out to be a mistake.”

“Unfortunately, several students of color were asked by their peers to portray inappropriate and harmful roles.”

The assignment in question consisted of fifth-graders having the option to show what they learned about the war and its aftermath by creating a dramatic reading or a podcast.

The roles requested by students after they broke into their own groups, included that of an enslaved person and a person of color drinking from a segregated water fountain.

Broquard said the students reported being uncomfortable with such casting.

“During the classroom circles and small group discussions, students expressed discomfort in the roles they were asked to play,” Broquard wrote. “Others expressed uncertainty in how to respond or advocate for peers who were uncomfortable.”

School staff will undergo diversity training next month.