SALEM, Utah County — Schools administrators this week canceled an assignment requiring junior high school students to create a propaganda poster promoting ISIS or other terrorist groups after alarmed parents complained, a school district spokeswoman said.

A first-year Salem Junior High School history teacher who is interning with the school titled the assignment as a "terrorism propaganda poster" and said the purpose was "to help students understand the goals of terrorist groups and the methods they use to gain support," according to a copy of the handout released by the Nebo School District.

District spokeswoman Lana Hiskey said the teacher wanted to use the assignment to teach the negative qualities of propaganda.

"She was teaching about the Middle East and was trying to teach the students about propaganda and how it can be inappropriate, (how) it can be misused," Hiskey said.

A statement posted Thursday on Salem Junior High's Facebook page said the assignment had been canceled.

"(The school) recently learned from concerned parents of an assignment regarding extremists' use of propaganda to spread untruths and misunderstandings," according to the statement. "Upon learning of this assignment, the administration reviewed the concerns with parents and teachers. After consultation, the assignment was immediately withdrawn."

The teacher reportedly gave the homework to a little more than 60 students in two history classes. In all, four parents contacted the school to complain, Hiskey said. One of those parents called the assignment "incredibly naive" in light of current events, she said.

"I think that really is the concern for parents, and it's our concern honestly," Hiskey said.

To help with their homework, the teacher also gave students a list of ISIS propaganda selling points "to help you better (understand) what groups like ISIS want and why," according to the handout released by the school district.

The titles of those selling points, which were accompanied by descriptive paragraphs, included "up-to-date attractive social media," "purpose for living," "America's support for Israel," "Western societies are immoral" and "hope for a restoration of the Caliphate," among others.

Hiskey called the assignment "inappropriate" and added that the teacher should have contacted her mentor teacher about getting it approved, which may have stopped it from being handed out to students.

"We want to keep our kids safe. We want them to understand the world that they live in and still keep them safe as well. … Parents' concerns are they don't want their children to get involved in any kind of terrorist anything," she said.

Hiskey said the teacher apologized for the assignment and will not be disciplined.

"As soon as the administration talked to her, she was very apologetic. She was very sorry about the assignment, and she's already talked to the students and retracted that assignment," she said. "She comes from a military background, she's worked in the military. She's very patriotic. So she was just enthusiastic with these students and really wanted them to be aware (of propaganda)."

Hiskey said Salem Junior High administrators welcome the input of parents who still have questions or concerns.

Contributing: Nkoyo Iyamba

Email: blockhart@deseretnews.com

Twitter: benlockhartnews