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An English student’s comparison of a Ku Klux Klan member to a police officer in a school assignment rocked a Kentucky high school and brought about a contentious discussion regarding social injustice, WLKY reports.

An Honors English teacher at North Oldham High School in Oldham County asked her students to read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and then draw a picture showing their perspective on social injustice. The teacher then decided to hang up portraits from last year’s class so that students could grasp a better idea of the project.

Many of the examples focused on racism and oppression, including one that depicted encounters in both 1930 and 2015. The photo of the portrait above shows a Ku Klux Klan member executing a blindfolded Black man, comparing it to a contemporary image of a police officer pointing a gun at a Black child.

WLKY reports:

“I do think it’s a little dramatic, and right now it is a very touching time to have something like that come up,” David Byrd, a resident of Oldham county said.  

Some parents want the picture removed from the classroom, saying it’s offensive. 

“They risk their lives for this job and our communities. Cops aren’t killers they defend our safety. That’s my opinion about it,” Byrd.

Tracy Green, communications director for Oldham County Schools, told reporters the assignment was meant for students to start a conversation about social injustice, no matter how controversial the outcome. Green also left the decision to take the portrait down to the teacher. It is still hanging in the classroom.

Via WLKY:

“We believe that our role as educators is to prepare our kids for the world beyond the classroom, and sometimes things are going to be controversial,” communications director for Oldham County Schools, Tracy Green, said.

“We support what they do every day and we’re so thankful for everything they do to keep our students safe, but we also hope that they understand the dialogue that we’re trying to have in the classroom to prepare these kids for the world outside of school,” Green said.  

Green said the portrait isn’t an attack on law enforcement. The new crop of assignments is set to be completed next week.

SOURCE: WLKY, Facebook | PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter 

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