Florida teacher suspended for "privilege" questionnaire
TAMPA, Fla. -- A Tampa, Florida, middle school teacher has been suspended after parents complained that she gave students a questionnaire on personal information including their sexual orientation, gender identity and religion.
The form was titled "How much privilege do you have?" according to CBS affiliate WTSP.
School officials said 23-year-old Yoselis Ramos didn't collect the forms given to seventh and eighth grade Spanish students at Monroe Middle School, but that she used the April 4 assignment as a starting point for discussion on inequality. The lesson was aimed at discussing how much privilege various groups have.
Hillsborough County School District spokeswoman Tanya Arja told local news outlets the district doesn't collect such information on students.
When parents complained to principal Peter Megara the next day, Ramos was immediately suspended. He sent a recorded message about the assignment to parents.
Arja says an investigation should be completed this week. While Ramos isn't teaching, Arja didn't provide her current assignment.
The different categories included, race, skin color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and disability, according to according to CBS affiliate WTSP.
According to the station, Regina Stiles' daughter is in the class. When her daughter came to the "disability" column, she revealed she had been diagnosed with ADHD.
"She has ADHD and apparently the teacher said there are some kids in this class that have ADHD, and ADHD is a mental illness, and that's why she circled that. To me ADHD is not a mental disability. It's something she has," Stiles said.
Other sections included religion and gender. Children were given the option of cisgender, transgender or gender-queer.
"She's 12. Some of these things should be taught at home," says Stiles. Stiles was among the angry parents who asked questions to the school principal, who then launched an investigation, according to the station.
It's the teacher's first year in the Hillsborough County School District.