Hilldale Homework Assignment Form Of Body Shaming, Parent Says

A first grade homework assignment is creating a lot of buzz after one mom posted it to social media.

That mom is now on a mission to get it pulled from the state's curriculum.

The Hilldale mom said she's already had to deal with body shaming issues with her first grade daughter.

But she said she never dreamed the body shaming would come in the form of a grammar assignment.

"Beth likes to eat. Beth is not thin. Beth likes to eat hot dogs," Jeanne Bicknell reads from the assignment.

Bicknell was helping her daughter with her homework this week.

"We get to the last page, she starts reading it, and the second sentence caught my attention," she said. "Even now, it just makes my blood boil."

The assignment then talks about Beth getting sick after eating too many hot dogs.

Eventually, Beth's mom forces her to eat broth.

"Beth's mom says, eat the broth, Beth. Exclamation mark," Bicknell reads aloud.

"It focused on the fact that she's not thin, and ended with the fact that Beth is now thin because she eats mostly broth," Bicknell said.

Bicknell said the assignment touches on multiple harmful behaviors, like eating disorders and body shaming.

"It was heartbreaking. We've done everything in our power to protect our kids from body shaming," Bicknell said.

The Hilldale school administration admits it's state approved curriculum, and they didn't realize that story was being handed out to students, Bicknell said.

"If they'd actually taken the time to read the lesson they would've know that it was inappropriate, and it shouldn't have gone to first graders. Or any child for that matter," she said.

The school is pulling the curriculum and promises to be more careful in the future, Bicknell said.

"Hilldale has owned their mistake. They're doing what they need to do to correct it," she said.

This is bigger than just Hilldale, Bicknell said. Her mission is to work with the state to pull the curriculum altogether.

Hilldale Superintendent Kaylin Coody declined to comment.

The full text of the assignment is below:

"Beth likes to eat. Beth is not thin. Beth likes to eat hot dogs. Beth keeps a cloth with her to help with the mess she makes. Beth eats too many hot dogs

and then gets sick. Beth's mom said, "You must not eat hot dogs again." Beth will have to eat broth, not hot dogs. Beth does not like broth.

Beth's mom says, "Eat the broth, Beth!" Beth eats lots and lots of broth. Beth gets thin from all the broth she eats."