A classroom assignment about slavery has sparked outrage at a Salem County middle school.
The outrage sparked over an assignment that was supposed to be a lesson at the end of Black History Month.
Tensions ran high at the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School Board meeting Monday night when the assignment was discussed.
According to the assignment sheet given to FOX 29 by parents, students were asked to choose to be a slave owner or an abolitionist. The students were asked to create a post that explained their argument.
It was one poster in particular that looked like a wanted poster for a slave on the run that sparked the outrage.
It's not clear if the poster was ever hung in school.
"Students were asked to write persuasive essays talking about the problems of slavery and the issues of slavery," Superintendent Dr. Joseph Massare told FOX 29's Chris O'Connell.
Dr. Massare says the poster project came after a reading assignment of the book "Nightjohn," which tells the story of a slave who helped other slaves to read.
"You are not telling them the great strides out of the black struggle," said Walter Hudson of the National Awareness Alliance. "You are telling them what the slave master did."
School officials say they received a complaint from a single parent.
Although the principal signed off on the assignment, school officials did admit it could have been handled differently.
The National Awareness Alliance says they want a formal apology from the teacher and the principal.
Monday, May 20 2013 1:25 PM EDT2013-05-20 17:25:38 GMT
A text message that says "I'm about to leave" is the last time Janet Royer had contact with her son Thursday night. "It's like a nightmare, it's the worst nightmare anyone can think of. I keep thinking
A text message that says "I'm about to leave" is the last time Janet Royer had contact with her son Thursday night.
Tuesday, May 14 2013 8:31 PM EDT2013-05-15 00:31:38 GMT
Kermit Gosnell will spend the rest of his life in prison. The 72-year old abortion provider has waived his right to appeal the first-degree murder charge issued by a jury just one day ago.Dr. Kermit Gosnell
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Monday, May 13 2013 7:03 AM EDT2013-05-13 11:03:57 GMT
It was a heartbreaking Mother's Day for the mom of a shooting victim gunned down on South Street as she travels to Philadelphia to identify the body of her son.
It was a heartbreaking Mother's Day for the mom of a shooting victim gunned down on South Street as she travels to Philadelphia to identify the body of her son.
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The shock of Monday's bombing at the Boston Marathon has turned to sadness and anger, but there is a new sense of community and patriotism among the people of Boston.
The shock of Monday's bombing at the Boston Marathon has turned to sadness and anger, but there is a new sense of community and patriotism among the people of Boston.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:49 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:49:38 GMT
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:32 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:32:28 GMT
There is a beautiful new bench outside Engine 53 in South Philadelphia honoring a brave and dedicated firefighter who gave his life to protect his community. Captain Michael Goodwin's name is etched into
There is a beautiful new bench outside Engine 53 in South Philadelphia honoring a brave and dedicated firefighter who gave his life to protect his community. Captain Michael Goodwin's name is etched into
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:05 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:05:45 GMT
Flyers forward Jakub Voracek was involved in a serious car crash Wednesday morning in the Czech Republic.Voracek, 23, did not suffer any injuries, according to a brief statement issued by the Flyers general
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 11:47 AM EDT2013-05-22 15:47:14 GMT
Police sources tell FOX 29 News a veteran Philadelphia narcotics officer has been taken into custody by the FBI and police in connection with a long-term undercover investigation.
Police sources tell FOX 29 News a veteran Philadelphia narcotics officer has been taken into custody by the FBI and police in connection with a long-term undercover investigation.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 10:41 AM EDT2013-05-22 14:41:42 GMT
A man being questioned by federal authorities in the Boston Marathon bombing probe was fatally shot in Florida when he initiated a violent confrontation, according to the FBI.
A man being questioned by federal authorities in the Boston Marathon bombing probe was fatally shot in Florida when he initiated a violent confrontation, according to the FBI.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 10:27 AM EDT2013-05-22 14:27:41 GMT
Transit officials say a commuter train has struck and killed a man on the tracks outside Philadelphia. It happened around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday on the Southeastern
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 10:10 AM EDT2013-05-22 14:10:10 GMT
The Pennsylvania Game Commission and The Humane Society of the United States are offering more than $5,000 for information on whoever fatally shot a bald eagle in western Pennsylvania
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 6:45 AM EDT2013-05-22 10:45:09 GMT
Philadelphia police are hoping surveillance video will help them catch the gunmen who shot and killed a teenager in the parking lot of a Rita's Water Ice.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 1:00 PM EDT2013-05-22 17:00:29 GMT
An emotional funeral service has been held for a Hofstra University student who was accidentally shot by police.
An emotional funeral service has been held for a Hofstra University student who was accidentally shot by police. Andrea Rebello's family followed the pastor Wednesday as he led her white cloth-draped coffin to the altar at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:55 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:55:01 GMT
Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:27 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:27:26 GMT
Black and Hispanic men are more likely to be stopped in the Bronx and Brooklyn than other boroughs, according to an analysis of police street stop data released Wednesday by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:10 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:10:42 GMT
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:23 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:23:21 GMT
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:10 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:10:21 GMT
Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 7:42 AM EDT2013-05-22 11:42:24 GMT
The National Weather Service is looking into whether a tornado touched down in a rural eastern New York county during a series of severe thunderstorms that rumbled across the upstate region.
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Tuesday, May 21 2013 9:51 PM EDT2013-05-22 01:51:10 GMT
Just a few days after Mark Carson, 32, was killed for being gay, and only a few hours after a massive rally in the west village calling for an end to the anti-gay violence, it happened again.
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A copy of the homework assignment given to FOX 29 by a parent.
