Upstate NY School District Apologizes For ‘Unacceptable,’ Racist Homework Assignment

An upstate New York middle school is under fire for a homework assignment that some parents felt was racist. 

The Spanish assignment was given to sixth graders at the Mill Middle School in Williamsville, New York. Students were asked to translate 10 sentences from English to Spanish. 

One of the sentences on the homework sheet asked them to translate “You are Mexican and ugly.” They were asked to translate another sentence on the assignment sheet, which read, “You are pretty and American.”

Shocked at this Spanish homework assignment in Williamsville Central School District loaded with such blatant racism. Can we even begin to unpack all that is wrong here? Who is developing this curriculum & where is the oversight?@SheriRodman @karenvaites @Remarsh76 @GholdyM pic.twitter.com/wO8sjU5fkv

— Allison Wainick (@AJ_WFlo) January 11, 2022

After parents criticized the homework as “blatant racism, the school district was forced to apologize.”

Superintendent Dr. Darren Brown-Hall called the assignment “unacceptable” during a school board meeting on Tuesday. He started the session by reading a statement prepared by the WCSD.

“The District is aware of the homework assignment that was posted on social media. This assignment created by the teacher and provided to students was unacceptable,” the statement read. “We are addressing the situation to ensure it does not happen again. The district does not condone any instructional material that denigrates our students, families, culture, or beliefs. Our goal as a district is to create an intentionally welcoming learning environment, celebrating our community and its diversity. This assignment fails to meet our standards and will be dealt with appropriately.”

Statement regarding homework assignment posted to social media: pic.twitter.com/jkk35QjXlp

— Williamsville CSD (@WCSD_K12) January 11, 2022

It’s unclear whether or not the educator who assigned the homework will face any disciplinary action. When asked by WGRZ, the district declined to comment and instead referred them to the statement.