Carrollton teachers placed on leave over racist language used on test, district says
The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District placed three teachers on administrative leave after they included “derogatory” language about Asians on a social studies test, the district said in a statement Wednesday.
The secondary social studies test asked students to identify which of three statements about “Chinese norms” was true, according to a report by WFAA, which reported the test was given to students at Blalack Middle School. The statements presented racist stereotypes about Chinese people.
“Recently, we learned of a situation where three teachers used inappropriate language about Asian Americans on a secondary social studies test,” the school district said in a statement released Wednesday. “The words used on the test question were derogatory and hurtful.”
The district recently launched a diversity training initiative for staff and said it will “enhance these training opportunities” to create a more “inclusive and respectful environment.”
Hate speech and crimes against Asian Americans in the United States have been on the rise for about a year, according to data from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Many attribute the rise in hate to the racist rhetoric surrounding coronavirus, such as Donald Trump referring to COVID-19 as “the China virus.” A gunman killed eight people, six of whom were Asian-American, in Atlanta on March 18.
After the shooting, Asian-American leaders in North Texas urged unity against the rise in hate crimes.
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 4:12 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of Asian-American victims killed in the Atlanta shooting.
