A teacher at School of the Arts (SOTA) is under investigation after his social studies lesson went viral. Students and parents say Patrick Rausch had students pick cotton seeds as part of a lesson about slavery. Rausch is white and most of his students are children of color.
WXXI's Noelle Evans reported on the incident. The story comes at a time of heightened national debate about how U.S. racial history should be taught in schools. What does culturally-sensitive curricula look like? Our guests discuss it:
- Jeremy Smith, site director for the Freedom Scholars Learning Center, Inc.
- Noelle Evans, education reporter/producer for WXXI News
- Justin Murphy, education reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, and author of "Your Children are Very Greatly in Danger: School Segregation in Rochester, New York"
*A representative of the Rochester City School District told WXXI News that the district cannot comment on this story due to an open investigation of the incident.
**Vialma Ramos'O'Neal, Jahmiere O'Neal, and Precious Tross, who were originally scheduled to be on the program, declined to participate the afternoon of the discussion.
