FL school 'expels' second-grader after parents object to assignment asking for pic of her doing homework in bathtub
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: A second grader was "administratively withdrawn” from a school after her parents raised concerns about a homework assignment that asked students to take "a picture of you doing reading homework in the bathtub.”
Misty and Christopher Dunham, of Jacksonville, recalled their surprise when students at Victory Christian Academy received the homework among other assignments, which included practicing “Psalm 24: 1-2 with an adult” three times, reading “Fun With Friends,” as well as practicing spelling, arithmetic, and phonics ahead of future tests. However, the unusual request to take a bathroom snap prompted Misty to send a message to her daughter's teacher at the Jacksonville school.
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“I emailed the teacher ‘Hey, you may want to explain that. Send something out to the parents. Let them know what the intentions are.’ This just does not sound OK,” she told WJAX. “She did send out a message saying, ‘You should be in pajamas, be in your uniform, have fun with it.’ But, it didn’t sit right.”
Misty subsequently filed a report with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, stating how school administrators told the Dunhams, "We have been sending this homework assignment for years, and you’re the only one complaining about it.” The embattled mother said a school administrator later called. “(He said) ‘I think you guys should do a parental withdrawal for the child.’ I said, ‘I can’t. I can’t do that. We refuse to withdraw her,’” she recounted. “He said, ‘OK thank you for saying that,’ and continued on saying that, ‘Well, we’re going to proceed with an administration withdraw.’”
Now, their daughter is no longer enrolled at Victory Christian Academy, a ministry of Victory Baptist Church. The parents bemoaned that they did not get any explanation for the drastic move. “She did something right by telling mom and dad that she wasn’t comfortable with something, and now she’s no longer in school,” Christopher told WJAX, noting how he instructed his daughter that she was not going to do that part of the assignment.
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Jesse Latta, the pastor of Victory Baptist Church and president of the school, told WJAX that the assignment “was taken out of an online teacher resource and has been used in many schools.” He said in a statement, “When a parent contacted our teacher with a complaint, our teacher immediately sent out correspondence to all parents in the class to assure them that there were no bad intentions with this assignment and to clarify the guidelines. No additional concerns were presented to the teacher." Latta added, “While the assignment was completely innocent, out of an abundance of caution and for there to be no misunderstandings, our administration has removed this particular assignment for any future use. We value our children and their safety is our top priority. We will continue to serve the children and families in which the Lord has graciously allowed us to have a part in their lives.” However, the pastor did not address the "administrative withdrawal" of the student, per the report.
