Oak Park Elementary School District 97 is under fire over a lesson that district officials said appeared to be about the history of the cotton gin and its impact on slavery – a lesson that drew public controversy and sparked a type of lockdown earlier this week.
The lesson included the use of bags of cotton, a tactile element some found offensive.
On Wednesday, a parent posted a picture of a plastic bag of natural cotton she said her daughter received during class at Julian Middle School. The post has gone viral.
The mother and other parents and members of the public called the activity out as racist.
In a joint statement Friday, district officials said they have received threats of violence and implemented the lockdown Wednesday in the interest of safety.
The type of lockdown enacted was “secure,” or a level in which, students and staff stay inside and doors remain locked while the normal school day continues. All after-school activities were canceled that day. The school was not on lockdown on Thursday.
Supt. Ushma Shah has not yet responded to requests for comment. Officials directed Wednesday Journal to the public statement.
“We acknowledge that this situation has caused a great deal of confusion, concern, and hurt within and beyond our school community,” officials said in the emailed statement. “As we continue to investigate, learn from what occurred and plan for next steps, the superintendent and the board are committed to upholding the values of our district, as outlined in our racial and educational equity policy.”
In the original Facebook post, the parent wrote that their child, who is Black, came home with a bag of cotton she said was given to her by her white teacher. Since it was posted, the post had been shared over 2,000 times by early Friday afternoon.
According to the statement, the district’s initial review indicated that the bag of cotton posted on social media was “part of a lesson on the history of the cotton gin and its impact on slavery.” According to the district, all students participated and a few students asked to take the bags of cotton home.
They added that there was an active investigation into the “serious concerns that a racially-insensitive activity was used” in a classroom.
“Our expectation is that instruction in our schools reflects the Illinois Learning Standards while also aligning at all times with our commitment to creating a positive and inclusive learning environment for all students,” they said in the statement.
“In addition, we recognize that special consideration must be given to the experiences of the communities most impacted by the topics that are being taught,” they read.
Commenters blasted the district’s Facebook page with concern and outrage over early reports of the incident.
“A parent should be able to feel safe sending their children to school no matter the color of their child,” one said. “For a teacher to give a black kid cotton is very unacceptable! That teacher should be fired immediately! I can’t imagine how the parents are feeling right now but I bet they don’t feel as if their child is safe. I hope the school will do what is right.”
Others expressed harsher language and threatened the district. The district also received a “high volume” of phone calls from others outside the community, with some yelling and using profanity toward the district office staff.
These actions prompted the district to institute the secure lockdown on Wednesday.
“These comments began as questions and concerns about the classroom activity, however, they escalated to include specific threats of violence to our school community,” they said in the statement.
Chief Safety Officer Felicia Starks Turner contacted the Oak Park Police Department for support to ensure an appropriate safety response, which included having patrols at both Julian and Brooks Middle School during dismissal Wednesday.
The district has also limited comments on their Facebook page.
