Are these student-created math/slavery questions offensive?

New York City educators have learned the hard way that there are some things that just don’t mix -- like using slavery to teach math.

The principal of P.S. 59, a well-thought-of elementary school that draws slavery rom Midtown and the area around the United Nations, told the Daily News that she was “appalled” by the assignment and has ordered sensitivity training for all of the staff.

“One slave got whipped five times a day. How many times did he get whipped in a month (31 days)? Another slave got whipped nine times a day. How many times did he get whipped in a month? How many times did the two slaves get whipped together in one month?”

Two teachers at Public School No. 59, 250 E. 57th St., are facing disciplinary action after students were sent home with questions asking them to subtract dead slaves and multiply the number of times a day a slave is whipped.

Two Manhattan teachers are in hot water over an offensive homework lesson that used killing and whipping slaves to teach subtraction and multiplication.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/slave-math-questions-ps-59-fourth-graders-article-1.1270487#ixzz2LhlA4d18