Parents Outraged Over 'Absolutely Appalling' Homework Question

A Texas school district says it has taken "corrective action" after a question about rape appeared on a ninth-grade homework assignment. About 90 biology students at Klein Collins High School near Houston received the assignment focusing on DNA, which included what the Klein Independent School District calls an "inappropriate" question, per KPRC. "Suzy was assaulted in an alley and is a victim of rape. The police collected a sample of sperm that was left at the crime scene and now have 3 suspects in custody. Which of the suspects raped Suzy?" it read. Below the question, students could compare three DNA sequences with that of a felon.

While some experts say parents ought to discuss sexual violence with adolescents, some parents said the mention of rape was "absolutely appalling," per the Houston Chronicle. "I can't fathom a teacher putting that on a test" since "girls this age ... know that rape is forced non-consensual sex and that upsets them," one parent tells KPRC. In a statement, the school district says the assignment "is not part of the district's approved curriculum and is by no means representative of the district's instructional philosophy." It refused to elaborate after stating that "appropriate corrective action has been taken." (Homework about slavery rattled family members in Tennessee.)