SHOREWOOD, Wis. — A Shorewood School District teacher is under investigation for allegedly telling African-American students to “research games that had been played by enslaved children.”
A letter was sent home Thursday telling parents and guardians of the incident that happened at Shorewood Intermediate School during a seventh grade physical education class.
The letter reads in part:
“We take these allegations extremely serious. Throughout this situation, student safety and well-being have been our top priority. Our school counselor, school psychologist, Dean of Students, and the SIS principal have been providing support to the students who were directly involved in the incident. We wanted to make you aware of this development, and to reiterate that our students and families remain our highest priority.”
Shorewood School District officials said the administration became aware of the concerns April 3, and immediately launched an investigation.
The teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Read the full letter sent home to parents and guardians below:
“During a recent seventh grade Physical Education class at Shorewood Intermediate School, a teacher shared an activity with students on the subject of games from around the world. After the class on April 1, allegations were made that the teacher had suggested to African American students in the class that they research games that had been played by enslaved children. The administration became aware of these concerns on April 3. We immediately launched an internal investigation into the matter. We have placed the teacher on leave, pending the findings of the investigation.
We take these allegations extremely serious. Throughout this situation, student safety and well-being have been our top priority. Our school counselor, school psychologist, Dean of Students, and the SIS principal have been providing support to the students who were directly involved in the incident. We wanted to make you aware of this development, and to reiterate that our students and families remain our highest priority.
We are committed to providing an environment of inclusion in our schools. We will continue to assess the situation and ensure that we provide ongoing support to our students as we move forward. If your student has any concerns regarding this situation, please encourage them to contact their school administrators or school counselor.”
