School apologizes for assignment featuring racial slur

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A high school principal in Lexington, Kentucky has apologized after a teacher handed out an assignment asking students to share their thoughts about the N-word.

Local news organizations report that Lafayette High School principal Bryne A. Jacobs said Tuesday that the assignment was well-intentioned but “missed the mark.” The idea was to get students to think about the derogatory language they’ll encounter when reading the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The teacher asked seven questions, repeating the racial slur each time.

A group called Central Kentucky Showing Up For Racial Justice said teachers should assign books like these with difficult topics, but this particular questionnaire was not well-planned and created an unsafe learning environment for students.