A Massachusetts teacher who staged a mock slave auction and used the N-word in a 5th-grade class has been placed on leave, according to a letter sent to parents by the school’s superintendent. The incidents took place at Margaret Neary Elementary School, according to CNN affiliate WCVB, and were reported to Gregory Martineau, superintendent of the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough, in April. The school district is about 30 miles west of Boston. In January, the teacher – who is not named in the letter – held an “impromptu mock slave auction” during a lesson on the Atlantic triangle slave trade, during which slave auctions were discussed, the letter said. “The educator asked two children sitting in front of the room, who were of color, to stand, and the educator and class discussed physical attributes (i.e., teeth and strength),” Martineau said. The second incident took place in April, and in that instance, the same educator used the N-word while reading a book, which was not part of the fifth-grade curriculum, to students, the letter said. “It was later brought to the District’s attention that the ‘N-word’ does not appear in the book,” Martineau said. “Dehumanizing words such as slurs should not be spoken by employees or students. Using such words can harm students and negatively impact an open discussion on a particular topic.” Martineau also condemned the teacher’s actions in holding a mock slave auction, calling the action “unacceptable” and a violation of the district’s core values. He also noted the damaging impact that such role-playing methods in lessons on historical atrocities or trauma can have on students of color.
siehe auch: Massachusetts teacher on leave after holding mock slave auction and using racial slur, official says A fifth grade teacher in Massachusetts has been placed on paid leave after a series of incidents including holding a mock slave auction, using a racial slur, and calling out the student who reported the slur. A fifth-grade teacher in Massachusetts has been placed on paid leave after a series of incidents including holding a mock slave auction, using a racial slur, and calling out the student who reported the slur, a school official said. Officials did not name the teacher at the Margaret A. Neary Elementary School in Southborough, a town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Boston.