Journal-News
HAMILTON, Ohio — A Hamilton teacher has drawn criticism from the city’s police chief after including a question about “police brutality” in a recent assignment to eighth-graders.
The Wilson Middle School teacher’s vocabulary assignment included references to “police brutality” and alleged that such law enforcement misbehavior is more commonly targeted at racial minorities.
Hamilton Police Chief Craig Bucheit said the assignment was “irresponsibly fueling that type of anti-police sentiment.”
Bucheit, who said he shared his concerns with Hamilton City Schools Superintendent Tony Orr, cautioned that topics such as police-community relations must be discussed in a responsible and fair fashion.
“If done responsibly, these conversations can be great lessons,” he said. “Otherwise, they just create more anti-police rhetoric, which can and have translated into tragic, cowardly attacks on badge-wearing, brave men and women.”
Wilson Middle School parent Lisa McMillion, whose child is in the teacher’s class, welcomed the inclusion of the topic in the assignment, saying it provoked discussion and critical thinking.
“What I liked about the exercise is that it created dialogue between me and both my sons who attend Wilson,” said McMillion, who added that she and her boys had a lengthy discussion at home about the assignment’s subject matter.
“We are able to see both sides of it. It was very interesting that if the teacher wanted to create critical thinking and critical reading, that’s exactly what (the teacher) did,” she said.
Hamilton Schools were closed Friday and neither spokeswoman Joni Copas nor Orr were available to respond to requests for comment.
The teacher’s name and status were also not available Friday.
Emails sent Friday seeking comments from Hamilton Schools Board of Education members also garnered no responses.
“Superintendent Tony Orr and I spoke … and I know that both he and the entire Hamilton City School District fully support our police officers. We also discussed opportunities for collaborating on future educational endeavors that focus on police-community relations,” Bucheit said.
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