Three sixth-grade teachers at a Wisconsin school resigned after an investigation found they drafted a lesson plan asking students how they would “punish” a slave.
An investigation proceeded by Axley Attorneys, a Madison-based law firm, on behalf of the Sun Prairie Area School District found Patrick Marsh Middle School teachers independently worked together on the assignment two or three years ago, noting the lesson was not approved by leadership.
The assignment asked students how they would punish a defiant slave using a set of laws in ancient Mesopotamia called Hammurabi’s code, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
The question posed the following scenario: “A slave stands before you. This slave has disrespected his master by telling him, ‘You are not my master!’ How will you punish this slave?”
“After discussions with the three teachers and their representatives, the three teachers were permitted to resign through voluntary separation agreements wherein the teachers remain on paid leave for the remainder of this school year and will not be working for the district in the future,” according to Axley Attorneys’ report.
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Some parents of students reported the assignment to the school’s principal on Feb. 1 and requested the lesson be removed on account of its “inappropriate and sensitive nature.” One teacher initially refused to remove the lesson but later canceled it after the principal got involved.
All three teachers eventually expressed regret for teaching the lesson, saying the questions were “inappropriate and never should have been given,” the report said.
The teachers could not remember how the lesson was developed but said it looked nearly identical to a lesson from Teachers Pay Teachers, an online hub where educators buy and sell lesson materials. The website has removed the lesson.
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Officials for the district sent a statement to parents Tuesday, saying the assignment was “an egregious error that does not represent” the district’s values nor its commitment to racial equity.
