Friday, September 02, 2022

Florida parents outraged after teacher tells kids that saying Trump lost the election is an example of media bias

 Travis Gettys Via Raw Story

A substitute teacher used news coverage of Donald Trump's election lies as an example of media bias in a Florida classroom, outraging parents.

The teacher assigned a take-home sheet titled “How Does a Historian Work?” to prepare sixth-grade students for a test, including a list of vocabulary words such as primary and secondary sources, and one mother told The Daily Beast she was shocked by the topic cited by the teacher as an example of bias.

"The media is often biased and will add words that persuade you to think one way or another. Read these two statements made by reporters after the 2020 election," the worksheet read. "President Trump made claims that the 2020 election was stolen. President Trump made false claims that the 2020 election was stolen."

"The first sentence is just giving you information," the sheet added, "while the second leads you to believe he is wrong before you have all the facts."

The mother showed the paper to her husband, who shared her concern, and she was among several parents who called R. Dan Nolan Middle School in Bradenton to complain, and the principal promised to look into the matter.

“It’s actually the most biased example of bias I’ve seen,” the mother said. “It seems pretty out of place for a sixth-grade class.”

“We’re laughing," she added, "but it’s not funny."

Another student's father issued a statement expressing his disapproval of the assignment.

“I am very unhappy that the teacher would choose such a controversial example in an assignment supposedly teaching bias in a world history class," the father said. "There are so many other examples that could have been used. And the way this question is phrased would lead a student to believe that the media was incorrect in their assessment that the president’s claims were false.”

“And I would also add it is inappropriate to be using this example at a time when Trump is STILL disputing the results of the 2020 election two years later and demanding a do over!" he added.

The Manatee County School Board issued a statement saying the homework assignment did not meet their standards, but also pledged support for state standards set forth by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has campaigned against left-wing "indoctrination" in schools and has refused to say whether the 2020 election was stolen.

“It’s like, indoctrinating who?” the mother said, adding that she's awaiting the results of Thursday's test. “I’m interested if he had to use his own example of bias, and if they had to use Trump to get extra points.”

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