Parents are calling out what they describe as racist and sexist content on an online learning program that's being used by schools nationwide. It's leading some districts to reconsider or stop using Acellus lessons.
This photo provided by Charles Timtim shows his daughter, name withheld by parents, doing schoolwork from home in Waipahu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020. Timtim's mother doesn't think it's safe for her daughter to be back at school but she also doesn't want her exposed to an online learning program called Acellus that misspelled and mispronounced the last queen to rule the Hawaiian kingdom.
As parents help their children navigate remote classes, they’re more aware of what’s being taught, and it’s often not simply coming from an educator on Zoom. Some schools have turned to programs like Acellus to supplement online classes by teachers, while others use it for students who choose to learn from home as campuses reopen. And because of the scramble to keep classes running during a health crisis, vetting the curriculum may not have been as thorough as it should have been, experts say.
Acellus officials didn’t respond to multiple calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. In an online message to parents, founder Roger Billings called the controversy “an organized attack” and said “they have not found anything in our content that is really racist or sexist.” An automated closed-captioning system misinterpreted some words, he said.
Vetting educational programs takes time, but with the pandemic, districts needed to quickly to find remote learning platforms, said Eric Hirsch, executive director of EdReports, which helps schools review instructional materials.And evaluating curriculum is like the “Wild West” — it varies across school systems, Lang said.
Seeing the queen’s name misspelled and information that the Hawaiian islands were “discovered” by Europeans were enough for Timtim and her husband to decide their daughter should join Waipahu Intermediate School’s hybrid remote and in-person program despite their concerns about COVID-19.
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