Alabama teacher suspended after giving test with questions about drugs, pimps

People taking tests.
(Image credit: iStock)

A middle school teacher in Alabama gives her students a math test. It is filled with questions about pimps, drugs, and guns. How many days will it be until this teacher is fired? Extra credit if you can explain why the teacher thought this was a good idea.

The Mobile County Public School System has confirmed that a teacher at Burns Middle School in Mobile has been put on administrative leave after giving eighth grade students what's known as the "L.A. Math Proficiency Test," CBS News reports. The test, which has been making the rounds on the internet for years, asks such questions as: "Leroy has 2 ounces of cocaine. If he sells an 8 ball to Antonio for $320 and 2 grams to Juan for $85 per gram, what is the street value of the rest of his hold?" and "Pedro got 6 years for murder. He also got $10,000 for that hit. If his common-law wife spends $100 of his hit money per month, how much money will be left when he gets out?"

Superintendent Martha Peek said because this is a personnel issue, she could not comment, but stated that as soon as administrators found out about the test, the unidentified teacher was suspended. Parent Erica Hall told Fox 10 her son took a photo of the offensive test, given to him during language arts, and sent it to her. "They took it as a joke, and she told them it wasn't a joke, and they had to complete it and turn it in," she said. Perhaps the most alarming thing is this isn't the first time a person entrusted with educating children has gotten in trouble over this — teachers in California, New Mexico, and Texas have been suspended for passing out similar tests.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.