Detroit teacher disciplined over slavery comments
A Detroit teacher who was under fire for comments he made in class about slavery has been disciplined and forced to undergo training.
Officials with the Detroit Public Schools Community District said last month that the Renaissance High School teacher was under investigation after a parent reported the comments and posted them to social media. The parent described the comments as “racially demeaning.”
The teacher received an unpaid suspension, the vice president of the Detroit school board, Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, said during a meeting Tuesday night. The length of the suspension is unclear.
At issue were comments the teacher made after showing a video about Greece that referred to helots, a group of people in ancient Greece who were forced into servitude. The parent said the teacher then compared students in his class with helots and said they were slaves to teachers. The teacher also made a comment questioning whether a student could read, the parent said.
Read more: https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/detroit/2019/11/12/detroit-teacher-disciplined-over-slavery-comments/