Defend Slavery, Texas Charter School Kids Told; Teacher On Leave

SAN ANTONIO, TX — A teacher at a San Antonio charter school has been placed on leave after giving eighth-grade American history students an assignment to list the positive aspects of slavery. The school has issued an apology, saying the worksheet was a “clear mistake.”

“To be clear, there is no debate about slavery,” Aaron Kindel, the superintendent at the Great Hearts Texas charter school, said in a statement after the assignment sparked outrage among parents and others. “It is immoral and a crime against humanity.”

The textbook containing the assignment has been removed from the curriculum of all of Great Heart Texas academies, Kindel said.

The assignment to eighth-grade American history students at Great Hearts’ Monte Vista North school was titled “The Life of Slaves: A Balanced View.”

Parent Roberto Robotico Livar posted the slavery assignment on his Facebook page. His son wrote “N/A” on the “positive aspects” side of the worksheet, but listed about a dozen negatives associated with slavery.

“We are fully aware that there is a concerted effort by the far-right nationally to reframe slavery as being ‘not that bad’ and trying to revise the civil war as being about ‘states rights’ and not about slavery,” Livar told the Huffington Post in a Facebook message. “We were concerned that this assignment fell in line with that ideology and were naturally concerned, as well as other parents.”

RELATED: Justify Slavery: Wisconsin 4th Grade Assignment

Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, brought the assignment to the school’s attention in a tweet that called it “absolutely unacceptable.”

“Asking students to complete such an assignment challenges the reality that slavery was utterly dehumanizing,” Castro said in a statement,to KENS-TV. “It is also an affront to the basic idea of human liberty. Great Hearts Charter network should do a full review of its history curriculum and those who teach it.”

Students in the class use the textbook, “Prentice Hall Classics: A History of the United States,” which Kindel said the school is reviewing for appropriateness. If found to be “impudent,” it will be permanently removed and replaced “with a history book that accurately reflects our values,” he wrote.

Pearson, which published the textbook, distanced itself from the controversy.

“We agree this is unacceptable,” the publisher tweeted. “We have investigated this and determined the worksheet is not our product.”

In a statement to USA Today, Scott Overland, Pearson’s director of media relations, said the worksheet was “not created by, endorsed, or encouraged in any way by Pearson.”

“We do not support the point of view represented in the worksheet and strongly condemn the implication that there was any positive aspect to slavery,” Overland said.

Kindel said the school’s review found that only one teacher at only one Great Heart Texas campus had made the assignment.

He said the headmaster and teachers at the Monte Vista North campus “will spend time with the impacted students to explain the mistake and engage them in lessons that are more thoughtful about this period of American History.”

Here’s the assignment:

Image: “Slavery in Africa. The Treaty,” vintage engraved illustration. Journal des Voyage, Travel Journal, (1880-81), by Morphart Creation via Shutterstock