Bronxville mother: Teacher held mock slave auction

At least one Bronxville parent is furious regarding a teacher's lesson about slavery that allegedly singled out African-American students.

News 12 Staff

Mar 9, 2019, 1:35 AM

Updated 2,120 days ago

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Bronxville mother: Teacher held mock slave auction
At least one Bronxville parent is furious over a teacher's lesson on slavery that allegedly singled out African-American students.
Vernex Harding said her 10-year-old son was pulled out of his fifth-grade social studies class with other African-American students and they were told to line up in the hallway.
The teacher then allegedly mimicked a slave auction, which she says made her son uncomfortable.
"He's staring at her the whole time, saying, 'Mommy, my eyebrow was up and I kept staring at her like, this is wrong,'" Harding said.
The teacher apparently was reading a passage as part of the lesson colonialism in America, but Harding says the auctioning was unnecessary.
She says she is now having difficulty making an appointment with the principal.
The school's principal sent out an email to parents saying they are reviewing the matter and have suspended the teacher.
Harding says she wants to school to do more.
"I think they really need to examine the curriculum," she says.
New York Attorney General Letita James said, "The reports of racist lessons by a teacher at the Chapel School are deeply troubling."
She says her office is monitoring the situation closely.
The lawyer for the teacher fired back against the claims, saying in part, "The portrayal of the history lesson that has been reported is inaccurate, out of context, [and] contains false facts."