A question in school work deemed offensive and insensitive has both the St. Paul Education Regional Divison and Alberta Minister of Education apologizing. A post making the rounds on social media claims to show a question that asks: “A positive effect of residential schools was?” and then four possible answers.
Superintendent of St. Paul Education Regional Division #1 Glen Brodziak addressed the issue in a release today. Brodziak confirmed the question was in the coursework of the St. Paul Alternate Education Centre, an outreach school. The offensive question was found in a Social Studies 20 module.
“…It is our duty as teachers to preview all the materials that are presented to our students on an ongoing basis. We are removing the inappropriate content from the resources we use to teach.“
A full statement from the school board can be found on their Facebook page.
Alberta’s Minister of Education David Eggen also weighed in on the question. In a statement from his office, Eggen says the question has no place in Alberta curriculum.
“I was appalled to see such hurtful and offensive material given to an Alberta student. As Minister of Education, I want to sincerely apologize to this student, their family, and anyone else who may have been exposed to this insensitive resource. There is no excuse for it – and there is no place for it in our schools.”
Eggen went on to say that a full investigation into the material used by distance learning is being conducted as well as a roundtable with First Nations members.