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Controversial Equality Lesson Upsets Sutter Middle School Student

FOLSOM (CBS13) — Parents of a Sutter Middle School teen filed a formal complaint with the district claiming a teacher used racially charged and inappropriate language in a lesson plan.

"One of the kids raised their hand and asked the teacher for an example of equality for what equality meant," said the teens father, Tyrie McIntyre. "The teacher said equality, such as if you were to hang one black person, you would have to hang all black people and that's equality."

The example upset their son Tyler, who was the only black student in the classroom.

"Embarrassed, it definitely made him feel like a frog in the classroom," said his mom Victoria.

The school launched an investigation into the alleged statement used by middle school teacher. The teacher admitted to the district that he made the comment in class but defended it.

"The teacher's intended context was in the history of the classroom lesson around states treatment of certain individuals under the constitution," said Daniel Thigpen, spokesman for the district.

The father said it doesn't matter what the context of the example was, it should've never been said.

"I think it was ignorant. I think that it's selfish, unnecessary, unacceptable," Tyrie said.

The district's spokesman said the situation has been addressed, so this doesn't happen again.

"We expect that teachers will sometimes use provocative language, but we also expect that they're not going to use culturally insensitive language that could be hurtful to others," he said.

The McIntyres said that doesn't excuse what happened.

"They're young and impressionable and they're relying on responsible adults to teach them properly and that's not what's happening with his teacher unfortunately," Tyrie.

A spokesman with the school district said that teacher has been spoken to, but by law the district is unable to disclose any potential disciplinary actions, as it's a personnel matter.

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