A teacher in Duval, Florida asked “severely intellectual disabled students” to act like slaves and to navigate obstacles as if they were being chased by dogs, according to an investigative report.
The incident happened during Black History Month.
The Duval County School District decided Tuesday that the allegations are substantiated. Richard Wright Jr., a music instructor at Alden Road Exceptional Education Center, was reprimanded and suspended for 30 days.
Wright was teaching students the song “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” a song slaves sung while traveling through the Underground Railroad, according to the Duval County Public Schools report.
Wright said in the report his intention was to get students “up and moving” and to have them sing a song related to the Civil Rights Movement. He wanted the students to understand the meaning behind the song and “feel it,” the report said.
The discipline report said Wright's reactions reflect a profound lack of awareness of the impact such an activity could have.
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