Alabama teacher suspended after giving test with questions about drugs, pimps
A middle school teacher in Alabama gives her students a math test. It is filled with questions about pimps, drugs, and guns. How many days will it be until this teacher is fired? Extra credit if you can explain why the teacher thought this was a good idea.
The Mobile County Public School System has confirmed that a teacher at Burns Middle School in Mobile has been put on administrative leave after giving eighth grade students what's known as the "L.A. Math Proficiency Test," CBS News reports. The test, which has been making the rounds on the internet for years, asks such questions as: "Leroy has 2 ounces of cocaine. If he sells an 8 ball to Antonio for $320 and 2 grams to Juan for $85 per gram, what is the street value of the rest of his hold?" and "Pedro got 6 years for murder. He also got $10,000 for that hit. If his common-law wife spends $100 of his hit money per month, how much money will be left when he gets out?"
Superintendent Martha Peek said because this is a personnel issue, she could not comment, but stated that as soon as administrators found out about the test, the unidentified teacher was suspended. Parent Erica Hall told Fox 10 her son took a photo of the offensive test, given to him during language arts, and sent it to her. "They took it as a joke, and she told them it wasn't a joke, and they had to complete it and turn it in," she said. Perhaps the most alarming thing is this isn't the first time a person entrusted with educating children has gotten in trouble over this — teachers in California, New Mexico, and Texas have been suspended for passing out similar tests.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
DOJ demands changes at 'abhorrent' Atlanta jail
Speed Read Georgia's Fulton County Jail subjects inmates to 'unconstitutional' conditions, the 16-month investigation found
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
China tries to bury deadly car attack
Speed Read An SUV drove into a crowd of people in Zhuhai, killing and injuring dozens — but news of the attack has been censored
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor plan
Speed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years
Speed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market guns
Speed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
Speed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published