Washington DC elementary school apologizes after black fifth grade students were asked to play slaves during a lesson about the Civil War
- Lafayette Elementary School in Washington D.C. has come under fire for asking black students to portray slaves during a lesson about the Civil War
- The incident took place in a fifth grade classroom where students were asked to show what they learned through a dramatic reading or podcast
- Roles in the assignment included portraying an enslaved person and a person of color drinking from a segregated water fountain
- The school principal sent a letter to parents apologizing for the incident
- ‘Unfortunately, several students of color were asked by their peers to portray inappropriate and harmful roles,’ Principal Carrie Broquard wrote
A Washington D.C. elementary school has come under fire for asking black fifth grade students to portray slaves during a lesson about the Civil War and Reconstruction era.
The incident took place at Lafayette Elementary School in the Chevy Chase neighborhood where a class was asked to wrap up a series of lessons on the Civil War by creating a dramatic reading or podcast.
Students broke off into groups for the assignment, which asked students to portray an enslaved person and a person of color drinking from a segregated water fountain.
Lafayette Elementary School (above in Washington D.C. has come under fire for asking fifth grade students of color to portray slaves during a lesson about the Civil War
Principal Carrie Broquard sent a letter to parents apologizing for the offensive incident saying the learning exercise won’t be used in the future, according to the Washington Post.
‘Unfortunately, several students of color were asked by their peers to portray inappropriate and harmful roles,’ Broquard wrote.
Students ‘should not have been tasked with acting out or portraying different perspectives of enslavement and war,’ she added.
Students reported being uncomfortable with the roles of an enslaved person and person of color using a segregated fountain and were uncertain of how to respond or intervene.
‘Unfortunately, several students of color were asked by their peers to portray inappropriate and harmful roles,’ Principal Carrie Broquard wrote in a letter to parents
‘During the classroom circles and small group discussions, students expressed discomfort in the roles they were asked to play. Others expressed uncertainty in how to respond or advocate for peers who were uncomfortable,’ the letter said.
School officials apologized for failing to ‘protect students’ and for failing to foresee potential problems with the assignment.
School staff will undergo diversity training next month, she said.
The school also offered recommendations for parents to speak about race with their children.