Source / Pixabay

A 5th-grade teacher in Missouri has been put on leave for asking students to “set a price” for a slave. The NAACP is calling for the teacher to issue a formal apology for the insensitivity of the assignment.

The elementary class was learning about trade and were asked to set prices for various items like lumber, wool, or grain. The twelfth example on the list was quite a bit different from the others:

Screenshot / ABC 11

The “slave trade” entry was also the only one qualified with a phrase about the item’s “worth.”

The principal of the elementary school Jeremy Booker spoke about the incident with KMOV in St. Louis. Booker said that a letter was sent home to the students’ parents explaining the “culturally insensitive” situation and the steps taken to rectify it.

“The school district is continuing to investigate this event. I am working with district leadership to provide all Blades teachers and staff with professional development on cultural bias in the near future.”

According to Booker, the teacher has expressed “significant remorse” for the assignment, but the NAACP is asking for a formal apology. The organization has also offered to help train school staff to avoid similar situations in the future.