Mother says teacher ‘exploited' child

[deadparrot]

MORGANTOWN -- The West Virginia Human Rights Commission is investigating charges that an elementary school teacher used a biracial kindergarten student as a prop to illustrate differences in skin color and ethnic backgrounds during a world cultures class.

Rhonda Bennett, a preschool teacher at Peterson Central Elementary School in Weston, is also accused of telling schoolmates that the child had been adopted -- a fact the family of the 5-year-old girl says she did not yet know.

Joseph Mace, superintendent of Lewis County schools, also has refused to return phone calls and e-mails from The Associated Press but acknowledged the incident to a local television station last week.

The Human Rights Commission supplied a copy of the family's complaint Wednesday after the AP filed a request under the state's Freedom of Information Act.

http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/2006120738/

[waiting for hope]

1. Shameful -

My son is in Kindergarten and to this date, we have yet to even have the conversation of racial or ethnic differences because at this moment, (and I hope that it will carry over for a lifetime with him), he doesn't see color and thinks that all kids are just that, kids. About the adoption, that was just plain mean - even if the child knew, that's a personal family matter, and if she were ever want to discuss it, it would be up to her. I'm adopted and it's not something that I would have readily talked about at age 5.