School Apologizes for Teaching Slaves Came to America by Choice
On 4/22/21 at 6:02 AM EDT
An elementary school in upstate New York has issued an apology after some fourth graders were wrongly taught that enslaved Africans came to America by choice.
A teacher at Jefferson Road Elementary School in Pittsford used worksheets from an online resource called Classroom Nook during a lesson about slavery in January. The local school board has not approved the website as a source for educational materials, according to Rochester TV station WROC.
Michael Pero, superintendent of schools for Pittsford Central School District, issued the apology on Tuesday following a complaint from a parent.
Upstate NY school apologizes for falsely teaching slaves came to US by choice
Updated 1:07 PM;
An elementary school in Upstate New York is apologizing after a lesson falsely taught students that slaves came to the U.S. by choice.
WROC reports Pittsford Central School District Superintendent of Schools Michael Pero issued a statement Tuesday after a a parent complained when a fourth grade class at Jefferson Road Elementary School in Pittsford, N.Y., used a worksheet on slavery during Colonial times.
The paper asks four questions, including “Why did slaves come to America?” with a fill-in-the-blank answer: “As an exchange for the trip to America, African Americans agreed to work for colonists for years, but then were kept as slaves.” It also asks what kind of jobs slaves worked, and suggested churning butter was one of them.