WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) – A New York school district is condemning a homework assignment given out by a Spanish teacher that some parents criticized as racist.
“The assignment created by the teacher and provided to students was unacceptable,” the Williamsville Central School District said in a statement.
The assignment, shared by concerned parents, asked students to translate phrases into Spanish. One item to translate was, “You are Mexican and ugly.” Down lower on the worksheet, a phrase to translate was, “You are pretty and American.”
The words “friendly” and “politely” in parenthesis are asking the students to decipher whether or not the Spanish “usted” form of the word — which is more formal — should be used.
“We are addressing the situation to ensure this does not happen again. The District does not condone any instructional material that denigrates our students, families, culture, or beliefs,” the statement said. “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 standard and will be dealt with appropriately.”
The board did not clarify whether it would take further action.