The proposed assignment involving research on the topic of the Ku Klux Klan that was recently identified as being planned in one of our 7th Grade English Language Arts classes in January 2017 has been withdrawn.

The teacher recently submitted a letter to the parents of all of her students to simply inform them of various activities and assignments being undertaken in class with this particular assignment being just one of them.  As the teacher stated in the letter to parents “the goal of the research paper was not to teach the students the Klan was correct in their behavior, but rather to teach the students how to write persuasively.”  To the best of our knowledge there was no malicious intent involved.

BEAM feels that the objective of teaching students how to write persuasively is important.  However, we feel that the choice of topic is inappropriate for a 7th grade class.  A new topic will be selected for the assignment.

We understand the concern of the parent who contacted the school.  The principal was out of the office on Friday, 12/16/16 and, thus, unavailable.  He is in the process of trying to talk with the parent to address her concerns.

The teacher, who is African American, has been temporarily removed from the classroom while an investigation is underway.

Families, always feel free to contact the school Administration with any concerns.  We are your partner in the education of your child and working together is the key to success.