A prestigious private school in Michigan is facing some heat and one teacher is on leave following a high school biology assignment.

98.7 The Grand logo
Get our free mobile app

What Happended At The Roeper School?

Students in a high school biology class were given an assignment titled "An Introduction to Primates" and former President Barack Obama's photo was listed among different animals.

Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
loading...

The assignment asked students to select from the gallery of photos which ones were primates.

Credit: Duke University
Credit: Duke University
loading...

According to WDIV 4 the Roeper School released a statement on Friday, May 20th.

“On behalf of Roeper School’s leadership, we want to acknowledge the disturbing racial offense contained in an assignment with an upper school class last week. The choice to use this piece of curriculum was completely inconsistent with our School’s philosophy and mission and we sincerely apologize for its use and the harm it has caused. While the teacher has taken responsibility and admits the mistake of not properly vetting the resource, we know that is not enough and she has been placed on administrative leave until further notice.

“The Roeper School was founded in 1941 by educational pioneers George and Annemarie Roeper, who after fleeing Germany to escape Nazi persecution, established our school with the goal of educating children to become thoughtful, humane adults. As a school with a deep commitment to social justice for over 80 years, we must demonstrate greater care in the selection of content designed to guide our students. We remain committed to doing the important work of educating ourselves and the community in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, and yet on this occasion, we did not live up to those core values. We know that our work in cultural competencies is vital and must be ongoing to ensure an inclusive learning environment for our students.

“To that end, we will be immediately implementing the following:

“Greater care and more thorough review of curriculum with a specific focus on cultural competencies.

“Continuing professional development for faculty and staff in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice work with a specific focus on racial bias and cultural competencies.

“Counseling and support resources for our students.”

See Pictures From the Tornado That Devastated Gaylord, Michigan

A rare tornado ripped through the small Northern Michigan town of Gaylord on Friday. The twister left at least one person dead, more than 40 injured, and a trail of destruction to property.

Gallery Credit: George McIntyre

More From 98.7 The Grand