Parents of Louisiana fourth graders are outraged following revelations that a teacher assigned a reading containing the use of ebonics and inappropriate words like “pimp” and “mobstaz” as part of the Common Core curriculum.
Vermilion Parish parent Brittney Badeaux heard her 9-year-old son reading a homework assignment containing the words “Po Pimp” and “mobstaz.” The worksheet wasn’t age appropriate, she said, according to Fox News.
“I try to teach him morals and respect and to speak correctly,” she said. “It’s hard for a fourth grader to understand ebonics when you’re trying to teach him how to spell and write correctly.”
School superintendent Jerome Puyau agreed that some of the words seemed inappropriate, but stressed that the school was only following officials recommendations from Common Core, the new federal curriculum standards.
“Out of context, this word is inappropriate,” said Puyau. “However, within the Common Core standards, they do want us to discuss real world texts.”
Common Core has encountered serious pushback from conservative lawmakers and parents who worry that the new standards aren’t rigorous, rollback states’ rights and teach inappropriate subjects. (RELATED: Fifty shades of the Common Core: How much porn is too much for high schoolers?)
The standards were developed by the National Governors Association. They are supported by teachers union leaders, many Republican governors and the Obama administration.
