Sixth graders at Giunta Middle School were asked something shocking in their classroom–would they save Donald Trump from a sinking ship?
The “Lifeboat Test,” as it’s being called, presents a hypothetical situation where a ship is sinking with 15 passengers–and the student must pick 9 of them to be saved in the lifeboat.
The list includes: a black guy, a white guy, a Hispanic woman, a rabbi, an ex-convict, a guy doctor, a girl doctor, Justin Bieber, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, among others.
Many parents were shocked that politicians–like Donald Trump and Barack Obama–made the list, and that children would have to choose whether or not to let them die.
But parents were also concerned that, with the short descriptions of people, it encourages racism–how are they supposed to judge whether “a black guy” or “a white guy” should be saved?
One mom, Valerie Kennel, voiced her opposition to the “Lifeboat Test.”
“Leah is 11,” Kennel explained, about her daughter. “How is she supposed to pick people based off of what they’re saying? …To her, everybody matters. Everybody should have a chance. They didn’t do anything wrong. Everybody deserves to be saved.”
The school district, however, disagreed. They stood behind the Lifeboat Test as allowing for “really great conversation” in the classroom–despite parental shock and horror.
