Teachers who assigned slave-owner homework resign

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Officials say two Tennessee teachers have resigned following backlash over a social studies assignment that asked students to pretend to be slave owners and brainstorm expectations for their slaves.

Williamson County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney told The Tennessean that one teacher resigned Wednesday and the other resigned March 1.

Teachers at Sunset Middle School issued an apology after parents expressed outrage over the assignment that was given to student last month. The school and the district also apologized, saying the assignment was inappropriate.

The homework also assigned other tasks including the creation of a political cartoon depicting immigrant labour in the U.S. and writing a public service announcement about the hazards of living in urban areas.

The Tennessee Department of Education says the middle school is 70 per cent white.

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Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com