- A teacher in the Howard County Public School District spoke out about an assignment and a lesson plan students brought to his attention that contained Black Panther symbols, claims that the U.S. government is “abducting” migrant children and cartoons of cops being thrown in a trash can, according to a report from Families Unite Howard County.
- At a Feb. 10 school board meeting, Wilde Lake High School health teacher Jonathan Shaw expressed his concerns to the Howard County Board Of Education regarding an assignment and a lesson plan that two of his students had separately confided in him about, according to the report.
- One lesson plan, which Shaw referred to as a “travesty,” showed a collage from a Spanish class with what it called “Social Movements of Racial Justice and Social Justice” and “Resistance or Power.” The graphic depicts Black Panther and Black Lives Matter symbols and a cartoon of police, ICE and border patrol agents being thrown in the trash, along with the statement “the U.S. government is abducting migrant children and locking them in cages.”
A teacher in the Howard County Public School District spoke out about an assignment and a lesson plan students brought to his attention that contained Black Panther symbols, claims that the U.S. government is “abducting” migrant children and cartoons of cops being thrown in a trash can, according to a report from Families Unite Howard County.
At a Feb. 10 school board meeting, Wilde Lake High School health teacher Jonathan Shaw expressed his concerns to the Howard County Board Of Education regarding an assignment and a lesson plan that two of his students had separately confided in him about, according to the report.
In a public comment addressed to the school board, Shaw displayed the English assignment and Spanish class lesson plan for the room to see.
“A warning to parents, what you’re about to see, it’s heavy, and it’s really tough to see, but you need to see what’s going on right now in the public school system,” Shaw said at the beginning of his testimony.
The English class assignment showed a flow chart about “Cultural Appropriation” created by freshfeminism.tumblr.com. One part of the chart asks, “Do I have white privilege?” and determines that a student is culturally appropriating if they “do not fully understand if or understand what privilege abuse is.”
“That’s where we’re at in the education system,” Shaw said in response. “The politics are everywhere. It’s in the lesson plans. It’s in the curriculum. The teachers go off curriculum and teach this and the parents don’t know who to go to.”
“I’m just going to be honest, they don’t trust you [the school board.] They don’t trust you,” he added. “They don’t trust that they’re going to come to you with this problem and that you are going to be fair to them.”
Another lesson plan, which Shaw referred to as a “travesty,” showed a collage from a Spanish class with what it called “Social Movements of Racial Justice and Social Justice” and “Resistance or Power.” The graphic depicts Black Panther and Black Lives Matter symbols and a cartoon of police, ICE and border patrol agents being thrown in the trash, along with the statement “the U.S. government is abducting migrant children and locking them in cages.”
“This is what political indoctrination looks like in the classroom,” Shaw said. “This is what happens when you have leadership who has failed.” (RELATED: Christian Student Sues Florida School, Alleges He Was Mocked By Students And Teachers For His Faith)
Howard County Public School District did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
“HCPSS classrooms are spaces where students learn to understand the viewpoints of others and accept that their view is not the only one that exists,” Howard County Public School System Director of Communication and Engagement Brian W. Bassett told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Teachers are provided training and guidance for teaching and addressing issues, images, and news that are considered controversial, sensitive, and even uncomfortable.”
“Teachers help students navigate the societal issues, viewpoints, and concerns they bring with them each day to the classroom and ensure the focus remains on open and respectful dialogue, empathy, and understanding” he added. “Additionally, a concept like cultural appropriation may be appropriate to consider when evaluating historical and literary texts or discussing current issues.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.