Teacher resigns over slavery math lesson

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia (AP) - A spokeswoman says a suburban Atlanta teacher has resigned after an investigation found third-grade students being assigned math homework with word problems about slavery...

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LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia (AP) — A spokeswoman says a suburban Atlanta teacher has resigned after an investigation found third-grade students being assigned math homework with word problems about slavery.

One of the problems read: “Each tree has 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?”

Another was: “If Frederick got two beatings each day, how many beatings did he get in one week?”

Gwinnett County schools spokeswoman Sloan Roach said Wednesday an investigation has concluded into four teachers who gave out the assignments at Beaver Ridge Elementary. She says the school system accepted the resignation of one teacher but declined to elaborate on the rest.

Parents were angered by the math problems, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had called for teachers to be fired.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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