Photo Courtesy of Cedar Hill High School
Parents complained to Cedar Hill High School’s district officials that students were forced to watch George Floyd’s death on video and Derek Chauvin’s current trial. The controversial school assignment also required students to act as jurors for a mock version of the trial, according to WFAA-TV.
The Texas school allegedly started the class project without consent from parents, leading to outrage and confusion. The teacher in charge also asked students not to discuss the trial with anyone, including parents, for at least six weeks.
In a breakdown of the project, a teacher informed the students, “They may not text discuss what they hear with friends, siblings, or relatives – “not even the family dog.”
Parents, fed up with both the “juror” assignment and its secrecy, took matters into their own hands and addressed the school district directly.
Related Story: Nine-year-old Testifies In Trial Of Derick Chauvin For The Murder Of George Floyd
As we previously reported, Chauvin is currently on trial for the 2020 killing of George Floyd. The police officer allegedly had his knee on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes, asphyxiating him in the process.
One parent wrote a letter, saying, “It is unfathomable to me that you felt it appropriate to force my child to watch George Floyd’s murder on television in your classroom, and then move on with his day as if nothing had happened.”
The independent school district was under fire and eventually released a statement about the controversy.
“The assignment was not approved by campus or district administrators. The matter has been addressed with the teacher, and the assignment was removed,” they explained.
The high school principal also stepped in to say that he didn’t consider the case to be “age-appropriate” for the students. The teacher in charge of the assignment remains unnamed. However, according to ABC News, they released their own statement in defense of the mock Chauvin trial.
“Therefore, every day, your child will be attentive to the actual trial, listening and paying attention to the evidence of both sides, defense and prosecution, during the trial,” they said.
Though the assignment has been pulled out, it looks like the teacher still doesn’t get it.