LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Laurel County Schools have issued a statement regarding a controversial worksheet handed out to elementary students, stating that they intend to remove the image from the school's curriculum.
Laura Lewis, the mother of a first grader at London Elementary student, expressed her concerns over her daughter's homework. The assignment was a worksheet asking students to identify what "fat" is.
"I thought to myself they are going to look at it, and then look over at my daughter and say this you, you're fat. I don't want her to deal with that like I had to, cause it really hurts," Lewis told LEX 18.
The school system issued a press release stating that the assignment was created by textbook publishing company McGraw Hill:
Upon learning of the parent concern via the news media, the lesson page was identified, and the image removed from the material. The illustration is from the nationally and widely used Reading Mastery series published by curriculum publisher, McGraw Hill. We are currently reviewing the entire series for other images that could be a concern. In addition, we have sent this concern and related information to McGraw Hill Publishing and we will be discussing this concern with them.
We encourage any parent/guardian to contact their child’s teacher, principal, or the Laurel County School District Central Office if they have any concerns. We also encourage parents to utilize Parent-Teacher conferences as an opportunity to communicate with their child’s school. We appreciate your efforts to work together for the academic success of all our students.
