Slave Song Assignment Results in Apology from School Administrators

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — A Maryland teacher was reinstated less than a week after being put on leave for issuing an assignment that administrators condemned as offensive and insensitive.

Students at Mount Hebron High School who had been reading the "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" were asked to write a song "that mimics a slave song," using a maxim, metaphor or symbolism to "lament the situation you are in."

Howard County Public School System Superintendent Renee Foose described the assignment as "offensive and out of scope with what we should be teaching," according to The Baltimore Sun.

Foose said an apology was necessary and issued one in short order upon learning of the assignment, the newspaper reported.

In addition, Mount Hebron Principal Andrew Cockley issued an apology explaining that while the intent of the assignment was to use language to create an emotional message, "the activity was culturally insensitive and caused discomfort for many students."

Two years ago, Howard County came under fire for another controversial assignment when students were asked to impersonate dictators like Hitler, leaving out any racial or religious rhetoric to try to make themselves "sound great" to other students in class.

The Mount Hebron incident rose to administrators' attention last week just as Oakland Mills High School held a walkout to show that its student body would not tolerate racism, in response to a social media post from a peer that alluded to shooting someone based on skin color. The Oakland Mills student was the third in Howard County reportedly disciplined in the past month for making racist statements on social media.

• Walkout at Oakland Mills High School Calls for End to Hate, More Transparency
• 'Racially Offensive' Post Leads to Action: Oakland Mills HS Principal
• Police Investigate Racist Pictures from Howard County Students
• School Staff Responds to Volatility with Post-It Note Kindness

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