A W. T. White High School English assignment is causing an uproar with parents and on social media.
The assignment asked students to write about a “modern-day hero” and listed accused Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooter Kyle Rittenhouse along with Mahatma Gandhi, César Chávez, Malcolm X, George Floyd and Joseph D. Rosenbaum, one of the two protesters Rittenhouse is accused of killing.
17-year-old Rittenhouse also is accused of wounding a third person during a police brutality protest. He faces six criminal charges including first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.
The “Hero for the Modern Age,” assignment asked students to write a half-page biography of each of the the people listed. The teacher misspelled Gandhi as “Ghandi” and Malcolm X as “Malcom X.”
Dallas ISD released the following statement:
“An unapproved assignment posted in Google Classroom yesterday has been brought to our attention. Understandably, this caused some concern for the impacted students, and we apologize. Campus administration immediately removed the unapproved content and students are not required to complete that assignment. Due to personnel policies, we are not able to comment further, however, the appropriate steps are being followed pending investigation.
Racial equity is a top priority in Dallas ISD, and we remain committed to providing a robust teaching environment where all students can learn. It is important that we continue to be culturally sensitive to our diverse populations and provide a space of respect and value.”
