A suburban Chicago elementary school has sparked controversy with a classroom exercise on the school's Civil War day.
The parent of a 9-year-old girl who attends Lincoln Elementary in Wheaton said fourth graders were learning about the Civil War right before spring break. He said some of the students "were made to pretend to be slaves" as part of the lesson plan.
"It is hard for me to talk about without getting emotional," said the father, who was not comfortable giving his name to NBC Chicago. "My God, how can you make kids pretend to be slaves?"
He said if the students pretending to be slaves were caught, "instead of being whipped, they were made to dance in front of the class."
The dad said he wonders why making the students slaves had to be part of the lesson plan, and others agree.
"I was dumbfounded, I could not believe it, I kept asking questions," the father said. "If it's true, there has to be a better way to learn about it."
"It's sad. There has to be a much better way," parent Georgette Gilmore said.
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In an emailed statement, the school district told NBC Chicago it has not heard complaints from any other parents.
"We welcome the parent to reach out to us and share their concerns so that we may address them," the district's statement read. "Regardless, once school reopens next week and staff members are back from the break, we will work aggressively to seek more information."
