WORKBOOK: POLICE SHOOTINGS, RACIAL PROFILING

 9th GRADE WORKBOOK 

A Rockwood parent was shocked to find this workbook was part of her son’s language arts class. Questions inside it:

"What do you think will help cut back on police shootings?" 

"What is racial profiling?"

"Do you guys feel we've achieved full equality in regards to race?" 

"Explain your understanding of Affirmative Action in 6 words." 

______________________________

Her son’s IEP class used the workbook to analyze the “Dear Martin” novel.

In doing so, they spent weeks discussing concepts we see in Critical Race Theory: schools and police are racist; racial profiling, police shootings, civil disobedience with Colin Kaepernick as an example, CNN articles, a fake news link to show a post by Eric Trump as the example, and students were introduced to terms like “schools to prison pipeline.”

Images are from the workbook & links that the workbook assigned.   

Student writing above:

"No" "women vs men"   "Black vs White"  "rich vs poor"

These are examples of what the book's characters would say about whether equality exists.

Students were told that minorities have obstacles to getting into college; white people don’t.

This cartoon shows that even though there were many reasons why a white student didn’t get into a college, the white student blamed a minority student that did get in.

References to college are included because in the book “Dear Martin,” the main character, a black teen, will leave soon for Yale. Still, he is racially profiled, handcuffed, and, later in the book, he’s wounded when a black friend is shot and killed by a white police officer. It is a fictional story.

Students were assigned to research the percentages of the student body at Yale:

And, to discuss affirmative action.

Student answer: “Affirmative action provides equal opportunities for people.”

This is not an elective.

It’s a required, core class: language arts.

Parent Reaction         

(That student’s mom):        

“This is OVERREACH, and it is OUTRAGEOUS!!!”                                            

                                                —Lafayette parent

The “Dear Martin” novel is on Rockwood’s approved reading list to be used as an option for reading in all Rockwood language arts classes, grades 8-12. Although the district said it was a mistake, 9th graders in that IEP class had to read it because their teacher chose it as the class read aloud. Rockwood administrator Dr. Shelley Willott said he wasn't supposed to, because of the profanity in the book.

It is not clear how much the workbook has been used.

“My son's uncle is a cop. He was pretty offended by the anti-cop stuff.”

                —Lafayette parent

Action:

Parents attempted to challenge the “Dear Martin” novel and workbook, along with the Cultural Identity unit where it was used. But, the district changed the rules in the challenge regulations and did not accept our documents. This was because challenge requirements had been met the previous semester instead of the current semester.

Note: 

Other assignments in the Cultural Identity unit include a video (Intersectionality 101) that says white people have privilege, and assignments that focus on how race and gender determine whether people are privileged or oppressed.

Also note:

Social justice issues are not in Missouri’s learning standards. Districts can choose how to meet the state’s learning standards. Rockwood and/or individual teachers chose the assignments we have highlighted from the Cultural Identity unit.

DETAILS:

“Dear Martin” by Nic Stone

Language Arts, Cultural Identity unit

Spring semester, 2020-2021 school year

Parent Concerns:

Anti-police theme

Social justice; NOT language arts

Used as lesson content