Parents outraged over math teacher's cocaine homework equations

Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Parents outraged over math teacher's cocaine equations
Parents said they were offended by the Illinois teacher's drug-related assignment.

ROXANA, Illinois -- A high school math teacher is in hot water after he included equations about cocaine and getting high in a homework assignment.

Parents in Illinois said they were very upset after freshman students brought home the offensive math homework, KTVI-TV reports.

One such question, as posted on social media, asked students:

"You take six hundred milligrams of cocaine, your body filters out forty percent per hour, how high are you in three hours?"

Another question: "Unfortunately, you can't pay your dealer and she sets up a payment, you owe her $1,000 and 25-percent daily, how much do you owe her one year later?"

Parent Christina Metz said the answers to these questions are irrelevant, but how they got in front of students are of real concern.

"I think they could have used something else, maybe cans of soda, bottles of water, fruit, something you can put weights to, no cocaine or drugs, that's not very good," Metz said.

While the principal of the school said these equations were written in class, the Roxana School District said they are examples of poor judgment.

A statement from the district released to the media reads in part:

"The district is addressing the matter with the faculty member and those impacted by this incident. The faculty member has apologized to students and parents for this lapse in judgment and has reiterated the intent was never to promote or make light of illicit drug use."

The district said it is investigating the incident as a personnel matter, according to school district policy.