‘How many slaves … equal at least 4 white people?’ NC parents blast school assignment
A lesson on the Three-Fifths Compromise of 1787 went horribly awry at a middle school in North Carolina, media outlets report.
Kannapolis City Schools apologized Tuesday after a concerned parent posted on Facebook about her child’s homework assignment, which asked students “to compare the values of slaves with white people,” WBTV reported.
“How many slaves would be needed to equal at least 4 white people?” the assignment asks.
It was one of five similarly worded math questions.
The Three-Fifths Compromise — under which slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person — was passed during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, according to the National Constitution Center. At the time, it allowed southern states to grow their representation in Congress.
Some delegates had argued slaves shouldn’t be counted at all given that they were “property” and “not persons,” according to the center.
Officials with the school district did not respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment but told WCCB they weren’t sure what lesson coincided with the homework assignment — only that it was “inappropriate.”
“We expect and promote racial equity in our schools and this assignment did not meet that standard or expectation at all,” Kannapolis City Schools said in a statement, according to WCCB.
They reached out to the mother who first posted about the assignment and apologized directly, NBC Charlotte reported. The teacher also has been disciplined.
Still, parents were in disbelief after reports of the assignment surfaced.
“It sounds to me like it was a blatant racist homework assignment,” resident Nathan Davis told NBC Charlotte.
Dorel Simmons, who worked for the school district and is a parent of a child in the district, said the questions don’t represent the mindset of teachers and staff there, WSOC reported.
“There definitely needs to be some sensitivity training,” he told the media outlet.
Kannapolis Middle School has said it is working to address the issue to prevent a repeat, NBC Charlotte reported.
“All of us at KMS and in Kannapolis City Schools sincerely apologize to you and all who were rightfully offended, and we’re making sure the assignment does not count toward any student’s grade,” the school said, according to NBC Charlotte.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 12:31 PM with the headline "‘How many slaves … equal at least 4 white people?’ NC parents blast school assignment."
