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The principal of an elementary school in Washington D.C. has apologized after black fifth-graders were asked by their classmates to portray slaves during a lesson on the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Lafayette Elementary School Principal Carrie Broquard sent a letter home to parents, explaining that the exercise will not be offered in the future after the assignment turned out to be a "mistake."
"Unfortunately, several students of color were asked by their peers to portray inappropriate and harmful roles," Broquard wrote in the letter obtained by the Washington Post.
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The fifth-graders had the option to show what they learned about the war and its aftermath by creating a dramatic reading or a podcast.
The principal of Lafayette Elementary School in Washington D.C. said a lesson about the Civil War and Reconstruction era went wrong when some fifth-graders asked their black classmates to portray slaves. (Google Street View)
The roles requested by students after they broke into groups, included that of an enslaved person and a person of color drinking from a segregated water fountain, according to letters from the school obtained by the Washington Post.
In the letters, Broquard said the students reported being uncomfortable with such casting.
“During the classroom circles and small group discussions, students expressed discomfort in the roles they were asked to play,” Broquard wrote. “Others expressed uncertainty in how to respond or advocate for peers who were uncomfortable.”
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Missouri teacher placed on leave after slave trade assignment
A Mehlville School District social studies teacher was placed on administrative leave after she apparently asked her students to consider what they'd charge for slaves, prompting the NAACP to ask for a public apology.
School staff will undergo diversity training next month. Broquard didn't respond to the newspaper's request for comment.
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A similar incident at a school happened last year in Missouri, when a teacher was placed on administrative leave after asking students to put a price on slaves as part of a "culturally insensitive" assignment. The unidentified teacher at Blades Elementary School, in St. Louis, gave a class of fifth-grade students the assignment where they were asked to "set your price for a slave."
Fox News' Nicole Darrah contributed to this report.
