SPOKANE, Wash. — A family in Spokane is demanding the removal of an administrator at Sacajawea Middle School over claims that he dismissed concerns about an assignment where Black students, among others in a social studies class, reportedly had to clean cotton.
Taylor Skidmore, Principal Assistant at Sacajawea Middle School, allegedly offered to remove the two students from their social studies class when their mother called to raise concerns about the lesson, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington said in a press release on Wednesday. The lesson that 14-year-old twins Emzayia and Zyeshauwne Feazell, who are Black, took part in was "intended to simulate the experience of enslaved people," the press release says.
Brandi Feazell, the twins' mother, claims Skidmore suggested that he could "segregate" her daughters from the class, which he said would allow them to avoid interacting with the teacher, who is white, according to the press release.
The assignment was given to the Feazell twins and others in their fifth-period social studies class on May 3, the press release says. The teacher reportedly took out a box of raw cotton and told the class they were going to do a "fun activity" to see who could clean cotton the fastest.
“As two of the only three Black students in the class that day, my daughters already felt singled out during an activity that required them to clean cotton,” Brandi Feazell told the ACLU of Washington. “Separating them from the rest of the class would only compound their pain and isolation and do nothing to change the racist culture and policies that led to this inappropriate and harmful lesson in the first place.”
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The twins said they felt embarrassed and angry during the lesson, especially when they overheard white students commenting about how they would not have picked cotton if they were Black, according to the press release. The lesson was part of a unit about industrial economics, factory systems and trade unions, the twins said.
“We didn’t learn about the slave trade or anything about the history of slavery,” Emzayia Feazell told the ACLU of Washington. “The lesson made it seem like enslaved people existed just to pick and clean cotton.”
“The teacher kept saying, ‘We don’t need slaves anymore,’” Zyeshauwne Zeawell told the ACLU of Washington. “That really hurt because it felt like she was saying there was a time when slavery was okay.”
Brandi Feazell claims that Skidmore dismissed her concerns and said the teacher was "kindest, gentlest person" who would never have given students such an assignment, according to the press release.
The twins have not attended school since the incident on May 3 and do not feel comfortable going back until it is "adequately addressed" by Spokane Public Schools, according to the press release.
Sandra Jarrard, Executive Director of Communications and Government Affairs for Spokane Public Schools, released the following statement in response to the ACLU of Washington's press release on Wednesday:
"The students were learning about the industrial revolution and the Cotton Gin was discussed. We take all complaints very seriously and are committed to investigating them fully. There are conflicting reports to this incident. Once the third party investigation is completed, we look forward to coming back to share the outcomes."
The family is demanding personnel, policy and curriculum changes in response to the incident, along with support for the twins to return to school safely. They are requesting that Skidmore be removed from his position, and that the social studies teacher and school administrators "who failed to act promptly and take the incident seriously" to face disciplinary action, the press release says. The family is also asking for a formal, public apology from Spokane Public Schools and for anti-racism training to be implemented throughout the district.
The ACLU of Washington said this is the second time Skidmore has been accused of discrimination. In 2016, Spokane Public Schools agreed to pay $10,000 to settle a case after a Black student alleged that Skidmore discriminated against him because of his race, including refusing to enroll him in school when he arrived wearing a hoodie, the press release says. Skidmore was working as a Principal Assistant at Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane at this time, court records show.
In June 2020, Spokane Public Schools passed a racial equity resolution that would implement a plethora of reforms. Those reforms include required anti-racism training for staff and faculty, the expansion of multi-cultural organizations to exist at every school in the district, and curriculum adjustments.