“Marty Cohen drives around in his Benz like he’s the shit.” Photo: Damir Cudic/Damir Cudic

An unnamed English teacher at Albany High School who wanted to “challenge” his/her students to “formulate a persuasive argument” tasked them with writing an essay about why “Jews are evil,” as if they were trying to convince a Nazi official of their loyalty. One third of the class refused, and the principal has apologized while insisting that there wasn’t any “malice or intent to cause any insensitivities to our families of Jewish faith.”

Even though there are a thousand other thought exercises that would have been just as challenging (“argue against freedom of speech,” “argue that Pitbull is a groundbreaking visionary,” etc.), that’s probably true. The weird part, though, is that the assignment calls on the students, in making their cases, to draw upon a packet of Nazi propaganda, “what you’ve learned in history class,” and “any experiences you have.” With … Jews being evil? Update: The teacher has been placed on leave.