Parents in the Cedar Hill Independent School District are outraged after an unnamed teacher handed out an "unfathomable" assignment to students in the Dallas area. The teacher in question required 9th-grade students to watch at least 45 minutes of the Derek Chauvin trial per day. Afterward, students were asked to follow the instructions Judge Peter Cahill gave to the 14 jurors in Minneapolis. As a result, they were told not to speak about the case with anyone.
“They may not text discuss what they hear with friends, siblings, or relatives – not even the family dog,” the instruction for the class assignment stated.
Several parents in the Cedar Hill area were angered that the teacher did not inform them before handing out this assignment. Without proper support, parents were fearful that their children's mental health would be negatively impacted by watching the graphic material and listening to the gutwrenching testimony associated with this trial.
“This murder seen by millions around the globe was triggering and traumatizing for adults. Yet, you left students to handle their own emotions and mental health as they left your class, without proper and professional support,” a letter from a parent to the teacher reads.
“It is unfathomable to me that you felt it appropriate to force my child to watch George Floyd’s murder on television in your classroom, and then move on with his day as if nothing had happened,” another letter read.
Ultimately, the school stepped in to control the fallout.
“I don’t feel that viewing and discussing this case in school is age-appropriate for scholars,” school principal Jason Miller said.
“The assignment was not approved by campus or district administrators. The matter has been addressed with the teacher, and the assignment was removed,” the school district added.
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