A High School Math Problem Asked Students To Choose Who Sexually Assaulted Maya Angelou

The school district has since apologized.

Students at a Pennsylvania high school were given a math homework assignment that asked them to choose which family member sexually assaulted award-winning author, poet, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou when she was 8 years old.

Really? @PennridgeSD has good staff but some are terrible. This is what some low-grade staff thinks is ok to put on… https://t.co/t2tCQSKlAL

Pennridge High School students were asked: "Angelou was sexually abused by her mother's _____ at age 8, which shaped her career choices and motivation for writing." Using the math formula given, they had to choose "boyfriend," "brother," or "father" as the answer.

Clint Clark, a high school teacher who created the Maya Angelou "Person Puzzle" worksheet that includes the sexual assault question, told BuzzFeed News that he wanted "to honor [Angelou's] desire to advocate for the voiceless victims of abuse."

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