Question to students on punishing slaves was ‘grave error,’ Wisconsin school says

Several Wisconsin teachers are on leave after fallout over a history lesson that asked students how they would punish a slave that “has disrespected his master,” according to multiple outlets.

The controversial question was part of a lesson issued to students at Patrick Marsh Middle School in Sun Prairie, about 15 miles northeast of Madison.

Parent Dazarrea Ervins was among those “shocked” by the lesson given on the first day of Black History Month, telling WMTV she “couldn’t believe what I was reading” when her sixth-grader brought her the assignment.

“I can see how they’re learning about this era,” Earvins said, according to the news station. “But the wording of the question and the statement— it was just wrong.”

Michael Johnson, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, saw Earvins’ Facebook post about her son’s assignment and immediately alerted district Superintendent Brad Saron, Channel 3000 reported.

“For this to happen on the first day of Black History Month, given all the training I’ve been told teachers have gone through, I think this was bad judgment,” Johnson told the news station.

In a letter to parents, Principal Rebecca Zahn said the assignment was meant to teach students the strict and often “unjust” politics of ancient Mesopotamia where disobedient slaves could be put to death under a set of laws known as Hammurabi’s Code, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

The scenario read: “A slave stands before you. This slave has disrespected his master by telling him, ‘You’re not my master!’ How will you punish this slave?”

Zahn acknowledged the coursework “missed the mark” and ultimately “hurt our African-American community,” according to the newspaper.

The slavery lesson was also decried by Sun Prairie Area School District officials, who said it “was not consistent with the School Board’s vision for this school district,” nor was it part of the school district’s curriculum.

“A small group of our teachers developed and used an activity that was neither racially conscious nor aligned to our district mission, vision, values, curriculum, or district equity statement,” they wrote, according to WMTV. “While our administrative staff continues to investigate the situation, the teachers involved have been placed on administrative leave, consistent with our district’s procedures.”

The district called the assignment “a grave error in judgment.”

The $4 lesson was seemingly pulled from Teachers Pay Teachers, an online marketplace where educators can buy and sell education materials, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

It’s since been removed, but parents and community members have questions about why teachers used the unauthorized assignment at all.

“That’s the million-dollar question,” school board member Marilyn Ruffin told the newspaper. “How can this happen? It’s 2021. ... How can someone think that this was OK?”