Middle School Draws Controversy Over 'Most Likely to Get Pregnant' Survey
A public school in Mississippi has become the center of a national controversy after a teacher reportedly forced her 6th grade class to vote who among their classmates were the most likely to get pregnant, contract HIV, go to jail, or die by the age of 19.
Curtis Lyons, whose daughter was voted "most likely to get pregnant," said he was outraged at what the teacher claimed was a "statistics" assignment. The teacher reportedly ranked the students' names on a blackboard for the whole class to see.
"She was humiliated," Lyons told WAPT news. "She's an honor student."
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"I don't think she should be teaching kids. Those questions were out of place and inappropriate. I want to know what was the lesson in that?" he added.
Although Lyons and other parents have demanded that the teacher be dismissed, school officials at Chastain Middle School have been vague about what type of action they would take to reprimand the teacher, adding only that the incident was being "investigated."
"We are presently investigating the matter at Chastain. However, we are not able to release details in this matter so as to not violate the rights of confidentiality of personnel and students," said school official Lucy Hansford.
"Jackson Public Schools expects all teachers to extend the basic courtesy of appropriate decorum to all students and to use good professional judgment in the selection of instructional activities," she added.
Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family Action, however, said that the recent incident was yet another example of families being victimized and forced exposure to objectionable and sexually explicit content by schools.
"We are seeing more and more incidences like this of public schools trying to usurp territory that only belongs to parents – and using it in incredibly destructive ways," Cushman said in statement.
