NORMANDY, Mo. – A St. Louis Catholic teacher has been let go after her lesson on slavery raised concerns.
School officials said that an art lesson for first-grade students last week was meant to illustrate the dynamics of slavery through a re-enactment of slavery ownership. It is said that the teacher is white.
Aveona McLemore’s son is a student in the class.
“He stated that two young white children, young white women, were assigned to be slave owners, a little girl was assigned to be Harriet Tubman and she crawled under tables,” she said. “The classroom was separated—blacks on one side and whites on the other side—and he was told to give her directions to go north, south, east, and west, re-enacting the underground railroad.”
Administrators said there was no malicious intent but do believe the assignment was inappropriate and potentially traumatizing.
“(My son) told me from his own mouth, ‘I learned that white people are better than black people,’ so as a parent, that crushed me,” McLemore said.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis sent a letter home to parents informing them of the situation.
“The lesson plan that was shared with the first grade students is entirely unacceptable and inappropriate for students that age and its behavior that won’t be tolerated,” Brecht Mulvihill from the Archdiocese of St. Louis said.
The St. Ann School Administration and leadership said they are reviewing the situation thoroughly and the teacher will not return to the school.