Father sues school district over reading about slavery

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) — The father of a black student has sued a Detroit-area school district over a fifth-grade teacher's reading aloud from a book about slavery.

The father, Jamey Petree, claims his daughter, Jala Patree, was racially harassed by the reading.

The Macomb Daily reported that the suit claims a teacher at Margaret Black Elementary School in Sterling Heights read excerpts from Julius Lester's "From Slave Ship to Freedom Road" that contain racial epithets and racist characterizations.

District spokesman Bob Freehan told The Associated Press today that the district hasn't been served with the suit but plans a vigorous defense. He said the excerpts were read last school year during a unit to prepare students for Black History Month.