Putnam City School District Responds To Criticism Over Controversial Assignment

Officials with the Putnam City School District is responding to criticism over a controversial assignment.

The school district said the assignment was brought to their attention Monday night. Computer applications students at Putnam City North were assigned a project on 1950's-era gender expectations. The worksheet is titled "How To Be a Good Wife.” It suggests women should have dinner ready when their husband gets home from work, and that they should freshen up and make themselves presentable beforehand.

The worksheet also recommends women speak in low, soft, soothing tones to their husbands, don't greet him at the door with complaints, but women should have a drink ready for their man, and offer to take off his shoes for him.

Upon further investigation, the school district found out this worksheet was one of a set of worksheets used by students to practice formatting text, inserting clip art and wrapping text around the art.

The district says the worksheet has now been pulled and will not be used again.

News 9 learned that the principal called the parent who complained to apologize. The district calls this "an example of a school doing the right thing: listening to concerns, acting quickly to resolve them and apologizing."

Here's the district's complete statement,

"On Monday night, the school and the district learned that some Putnam City North students and parents were concerned about a computer applications class assignment recalling 1950’s-era gender expectations. In investigation Tuesday, it was found the assignment was one worksheet in a set of worksheets which were used by students to practice formatting text, inserting clip art and wrapping text around the art. The worksheet was pulled out of the set and will not be used again. The school principal called the parent on Tuesday, explained what had happened, told her the worksheet had been pulled and apologized. This is an example of a school doing the right thing: listening to concerns, acting quickly to resolve them and apologizing."