5th grader spots F-bomb in STAAR reading test

LUMBERTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The TEA is apologizing after the F-word was spotted on STAAR tests administered to some fifth-grade students.

Lumberton ISD officials say a student at Lumberton Intermediate reported the vulgar word to a teacher who immediately reported the incident to officials.

The TEA released a statement saying the words were embedded in images of a graffiti park.

Full statement from TEA:

"A passage with embedded images of a graffiti park appeared as part of field testing for some fifth-grade Texas students. After the test was administered, TEA discovered that two of the included images contained vulgar words in very small lettering. This is in no way acceptable or appropriate, and we deeply regret that these images appeared on the test. We apologize to all our parents and students, and in the spirit of continuous improvement, we pledge to ensure this issue never occurs again."

Lumberton ISD issued the following statement:

"During the 5th grade STAAR Reading exam, a student reported a vulgar word in a pictorial to the teacher administering the exam. The teacher reported the information to the campus testing coordinator, the principal was informed, the district testing coordinator received the report and ultimately the superintendent was notified. Dr. Chandler, LISD Superintendent, reported it to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). It is our understanding that TEA will be making a statement concerning this incident. Lumberton ISD also confirms that the vulgar word was the 'F-word.'"