UNION COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) – A North Carolina mother says her middle school student was asked to pick cotton during a lesson about the Industrial Revolution this week.
The mother, who asked to stay anonymous to protect her child’s identity, said it made her student feel so uncomfortable that they and two other classmates even went to the principal’s office.
“I was very scared because I didn’t know how my child was feeling on the inside and how this would affect my child long-term,” the mother said. “There were so many other examples and things that you could have used than to actually bring a physical plant and have a child reenact picking cotton.”
The assignment this week was reportedly intended to teach seventh-grade social studies students at Porter Ridge Middle School about the 18th-century cotton gin and its impact during the Industrial Revolution.
A spokesperson for the Union County Public Schools said school leaders have been made aware of the situation.
“Union County Public Schools is aware of the seventh-grade social studies assignment that took place at Porter Ridge Middle,” a statement read. “There were no references to race or slavery during this assignment. The focus was on inventions and how the cotton gin helped with productivity during this time in history.”
The middle school student’s mother said she would have liked to have known beforehand what sort of hands-on instruction her child would receive during the lesson.
“Think before you do, because this could have really negatively affected a child and unfortunately the parents weren’t made aware to try and stop that from happening,” she said.
Union County Public Schools added, “Administrators are taking this assignment very seriously. We are committed to continuing to work with teachers to discuss best practices for instruction.”
The cotton gin, patented by Eli Whitney in 1794, was used to quickly separate cotton fibers from seeds.
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