MEHLVILLE, Mo. (CNN/WFLA) — A troubling slavery-themed class assignment landed a Missouri school district teacher on administrative leave.
The question asked fifth grade students to put a price on slaves.
Angela Walker was shocked to find the assignment in her son’s folder.
The question reads:
“You own a plantation or farm and therefore need more workers. You begin to get involved in the slave trade industry and have slaves work on your farm. Your product to trade is slaves. Set your price for a slave. These could be worth a lot. You may trade any items you’d like.”
Every student had a different type of good to trade, Walker said. Some had corn, others had wood, but her son had slaves.
“There’s no value to playing a game about slavery,” Walker said.
Blades Elementary principal said the assignment was about trade practices in early America, but Walker thinks there are better ways to teach students about slavery.
The school district has placed the teacher on administrative leave.
