Ku Klux Klan Robes Worn in Georgia Classroom
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, head of the largest bank in the U.S., arrives to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 13, 2012, before the Senate Banking Committee, about how his company recently lost more than $2 billion on risky trades and whether its executives failed to properly manage those risks. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) / Haraz N. Ghanbari
A North Georgia teacher is on administrative leave and could lose her job after she allowed four students to don mock Ku Klux Klan outfits for a final project in a high school class Thursday, administrators said.
The sight of people in Klan-like outfits upset some black students at the school and led at least one parent to complain.
Catherine Ariemma, who teaches the advanced placement course combining U.S. history with film education, could face punishment ranging from suspension to termination, Lumpkin County School Superintendent Dewey Moye said Monday. Ariemma has spent nearly six years teaching in the rural county about 75 miles north of Atlanta.
She told The Associated Press Monday that students were covering an important and sensitive topic - but one that she might handle differently in the future.
"It was poor judgment on my part in allowing them to film at school," Ariemma said. "... That was a hard lesson learned."
The incident happened at Lumpkin County High School. Ariemma said her students spend the year viewing films and later create their own films to watch in class. She said the students brainstorm and pick topics to cover. This particular class decided to trace the history of racism in America.
She said the class has 15 students of multiple races, but no blacks.
A group of five students took on the subject, which included covering the history of the notorious white supremacist group which had large chapters in Stone Mountain, Ga. and Tuscaloosa, Ala. One student filmed and did not wear sheets, she said.
"The kids brought the sheets in, they had SpongeBob party hats underneath to make it shaped like a cone," Ariemma said. "They cut out the eyes so they could see."
Ariemma said she led the students through a cafeteria to another location where they shot the scene. Later, she said another teacher approached her.
"That's when I heard there were a couple of students who were upset," she said.
Ariemma said she wasn't able to find those students to explain the project to them.
Monday, student Cody Rider told Atlanta's WSB-TV that his cousin was among those who saw the group in white sheets and was frightened.
"I got mad and stood up and I tried to go handle it," he told the TV station.
Moye said a black parent went to the school to complain that evening.
Ariemma has no history of missteps at the school, Moye said, but administrators of the roughly 90 percent white school system are taking the incident seriously.
"This stuff happened in history. Do you ignore it? No," he said. "But you certainly don't walk the hallway in the garb."
Ariemma says administrators will review the film and decide if it will be shown in the classroom. She said the students who wore the sheets were shaken when they realized that other students were upset.
AP The sight of people in Klan-like outfits upset some black students at the school and led at least one parent to complain.
Catherine Ariemma, who teaches the advanced placement course combining U.S. history with film education, could face punishment ranging from suspension to termination, Lumpkin County School Superintendent Dewey Moye said Monday. Ariemma has spent nearly six years teaching in the rural county about 75 miles north of Atlanta.
She told The Associated Press Monday that students were covering an important and sensitive topic - but one that she might handle differently in the future.
"It was poor judgment on my part in allowing them to film at school," Ariemma said. "... That was a hard lesson learned."
The incident happened at Lumpkin County High School. Ariemma said her students spend the year viewing films and later create their own films to watch in class. She said the students brainstorm and pick topics to cover. This particular class decided to trace the history of racism in America.
She said the class has 15 students of multiple races, but no blacks.
A group of five students took on the subject, which included covering the history of the notorious white supremacist group which had large chapters in Stone Mountain, Ga. and Tuscaloosa, Ala. One student filmed and did not wear sheets, she said.
"The kids brought the sheets in, they had SpongeBob party hats underneath to make it shaped like a cone," Ariemma said. "They cut out the eyes so they could see."
Ariemma said she led the students through a cafeteria to another location where they shot the scene. Later, she said another teacher approached her.
"That's when I heard there were a couple of students who were upset," she said.
Ariemma said she wasn't able to find those students to explain the project to them.
Monday, student Cody Rider told Atlanta's WSB-TV that his cousin was among those who saw the group in white sheets and was frightened.
"I got mad and stood up and I tried to go handle it," he told the TV station.
Moye said a black parent went to the school to complain that evening.
Ariemma has no history of missteps at the school, Moye said, but administrators of the roughly 90 percent white school system are taking the incident seriously.
"This stuff happened in history. Do you ignore it? No," he said. "But you certainly don't walk the hallway in the garb."
Ariemma says administrators will review the film and decide if it will be shown in the classroom. She said the students who wore the sheets were shaken when they realized that other students were upset.
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Apparently these children were doing it for educational purposes. So if it's okay for Cleavon Little (a black man) and Gene Wilder (a white man) to don such garb for a laugh and a paycheck, why can't children don it for EDUCATIONAL purposes?
*sigh*
If we were all fired for one incident of poor judgment, most of us would be out of jobs. Certainly, 90% of world "leaders" and CEOs would be sent packing ;')
Her apology is sincere. Now do something profound, instead of easy. Proceed with a plan and caution, but use it for something good.
They were/are nothing more than a bunch of hate filled cowards--covering their faces.
That teacher needs not to be teaching. Pwerhaps she can go work for Rand Pauls campaign!
My high school social studies teacher accidentally witnessed a KKK rally in Alabama when he was a youth. Among the voices he heard was that of his Sunday School teacher spouting hate. There was a deep effect on this man. He said he was a person who at that time could have gone either way. Fortunately, it was so repulsive to him, he went in the opposite direction.
Teachers work hard, find creative ways to get a point across and improve the quality of their lessons in many ways. They should not be faulted unless they do something really drastic like bringing drugs to class.
And BTW Democrat lemming, the Klan was ENTIRELY made up of DEMOCRATS!
Think about that the next time you pull the handle for one at the polls!
And BTW Democrat lemming, the Klan was ENTIRELY made up of DEMOCRATS!
Think about that the next time you pull the handle for one at the polls!