School assignment on slavery has parents calling for change
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MOON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — An assignment in the Moon Area School District has at least one mother calling for change.
The question was: “Would you rather have been a well-taken care of slave or risked everything for the chance of freedom?”
Lisa Dacunzo said there is no place for that question in today’s education. It was given to her eighth-grade daughter as a virtual assignment.
“This is insane,” Dacunzo said.
She said with the current social justice movement, this prompt is out of touch, at best. Her daughter felt uncomfortable answering it.
“There weren’t well-kept slaves. There just wasn’t,” Dacunzo said over Zoom. “It was insensitive, and I feel like tone-deaf to just everything going on.”
Dacunzo is so upset that she doesn’t even want to speak with school leaders. In fact, her daughter’s teacher has already offered to speak, but she feels it would be only to justify the assignment.
However, KDKA did reach out to school leaders, including Superintendent Barry Balaski. He gave us this statement which says, in part:
“We have removed the question from the course and apologize to the students and families who were impacted by this assignment.”
Dacunzo just wants the district to make sure it doesn’t happen again. She feels the district can do better.
School leaders agree. Superintendent Balaski said he wants students to have an inclusive and respectful environment and added:
“This question, while part of a larger class discussion detailing the evils of slavery, failed to meet our district standards.”
“They need to update their curriculum. They really do. If this is the stuff they’re teaching, this needs to be changed. It has to be changed. Everybody has to change with the times,” Dacunzo said.
The superintendent is thanking Dacunzo and others in the community for bringing this to his attention.
The full statement from Superintendent Balaski can be found below.
A middle school social studies class discussion was brought to our attention last evening. After careful review, we have removed the question from the course and apologize to the students and families who were impacted by this assignment.
Moon Area School District is dedicated to educating every student in a respectful, enriching, and inclusive environment. We seek to challenge our students with a comprehensive approach that inspires excellence, lifelong learning, and civic responsibility. This question, while part of a larger class discussion detailing the evils of slavery, failed to meet our district standards.
We’d like to thank those who brought their concerns about this question to our attention. As always, we remain available to our community members.
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