Minneapolis Public Schools officials admit they failed to vet literacy training materials that exhibit racial and cultural stereotypes.
Earlier this month, some teachers received training to prepare them to use a new early literacy curriculum. They received "Little Books" that they could use to teach literacy skills to the district's kindergarten through second grade students.
But the books contained images that teachers found offensive. A book titled "Lazy Lucy" showed a black girl on the cover, and another book called "Nieko, the Hunting Girl," with a picture of an American Indian girl and her father.
"Due to staffing shifts and the desire to get a program in place for the new school year, the books were not comprehensively vetted," said Interim Superintendent Michael Goar in a statement. "We now know this was a mistake. We regret that this happened. We will do better."
The books were part of a larger curriculum that the district purchased in July from a Utah-based company called Reading Horizons. The district paid the company $1.2 million.
The district says they immediately pulled the books after teachers raised concerns, and no students were exposed to the materials. District officials also say they have asked Reading Horizons to write new books.
"Teachers will be central to that conversation," said Chief Academic Officer Susanne Griffin. "These revisions won't just be for Minneapolis, but for districts across the country."
The issue was first raised by a local education blogger, Sarah Lahm. Teachers and community members were also upset that the district contracted with a company that identifies one of its core values as "faith." The Reading Horizons website says a employee survey showed its employees "believe in a higher purpose of life. We seek to do His will and to achieve balance in our lives."
