San Antonio school responds to assignment asking students to list 'positives' of slavery

San Antonio middle school students at Great Hearts Monte Vista were asked to weigh the "positive" and "negative" aspects of slavery.

Click ahead to view worst historical blunders from textbooks. San Antonio middle school students at Great Hearts Monte Vista were asked to weigh the "positive" and "negative" aspects of slavery.

Click ahead to view worst historical blunders from textbooks. Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close San Antonio school responds to assignment asking students to list 'positives' of slavery 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

Middle school students at Great Hearts Monte Vista in San Antonio were asked to weigh the "positive" and "negative" aspects of slavery for an assignment.

Great Hearts Monte Vista, a local charter school, confirmed an 8th-grade American History class was assigned a worksheet titled "The Life of Slaves: A Balanced View." The assignment was posted on social media Wednesday by a parent who asked to remain anonymous at this time.

The post was shared with other parents at the school and has garnered growing concern from members of the community, including U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who asked the parent to send him a copy of the assignment.

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Great Hearts Texas Superintendent Aaron Kindel addressed the issue in a statement on Thursday. He said the assignment was only used at the school's Monte Vista North campus and it "was very inappropriate and entirely inconsistent" with the school's "philosophy and culture."

"To be clear, there is no debate about slavery. It is immoral and a crime against humanity," Kindel wrote in the statement. "It was a clear mistake and we sincerely apologize for the insensitive nature of this offense."

Kindel said the teacher was placed on leave while "all the facts" surrounding the issue were assessed. The textbook for the course, "Prentice Hall Classics: A History of the United States," was removed from use and will be audited.

"If we deem this textbook imprudent, we will permanently remove it and replace it with a history book that accurately reflects our values," Kindel's statement reads.

In addition, headmasters and teachers will meet with student who were assigned the worksheet to explain the "mistake" and "engage them in lessons that are more thoughtful about this period."

"We fully intend to make sure something like this does not happen again and will keep parents posted as we address this issue further," the statement said.

Pearson, the company that published the textbook, responded to the issue.

"The worksheet in question was not created by, endorsed, or encouraged in any way by Pearson," Director of Media Relations Scott Overland told mySA.com in an email. "We do not support this point of view and strongly condemn the implication that there was any positive aspect to slavery."

Madalyn Mendoza is a digital reporter for mySA.com. Read more of her stories here.| mmendoza@mysa.com | Twitter: @MaddySkye