CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -
A Charlotte mother is expressing concern after a class assignment she considers offensive was given to high school students. Some say it has racial undertones.
“I was completely stunned,” the mother said. “This is not appropriate language at all for the children in the school.”
The question was from a test on genetics.
"LaShamanda has a heterozygous big bootie, the dominant trait. Her man Fontavius has a small bootie which is recessive. They get married and have a baby named LaPrincess" the biology assignment prompts students.
The assignment then continues to ask, "What is the probability that LaPrincess will inherit her mama's big bootie?"
The mother says the assignment was given last Monday and she reached out to the teacher for an explanation for the question.
"I am extremely concerned that this type of language is being used and considered expectable [sic] to be issued to students," she said while asking for an explanation.
According to an image of the assignment provided to WBTV, the questions before and after the "bootie" question revolved around "stinky feet" and the height of plants.
The mother showed WBTV an email apology she reportedly received from the teacher "if the question offended you."
"I had asked the students to pick two of the remaining questions on the worksheet and did not necessarily assign that particular one," the teacher said.
She continued, "I apologize if it offended you or your child."
The teacher said the worksheet had been passed down to her by other teachers who have been using it. It was also reportedly part of the "Summer School Biology Notebook Packet" that teachers were given by the school district.
WBTV's Dedrick Russell reached out to the school district to ask about the worksheet. "The worksheet does not appear to be a document created by CMS," the officials said. "The school has taken the worksheet out of circulation and requested its teachers to discontinue using it."
The mother is relieved the question will not be used again.
