PA school under fire for explicit Maya Angelou question

A high school in Pennsylvania is under fire for asking about the childhood sexual assault of Maya Angelou in an assignment, reports CBS News.

Students at Pennridge High School were given questions which included a mix of math and reading comprehension from Angelou's book 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.'

A tweeted screenshot of the page shows a math problem followed by a statement that reads, "Angelou was sexually abused by her mother's [blank] at age 8, which shaped her career choices and motivation for writing."

Below it is another pair of equations then the statement, "Trying to support her son as a single mother, she worked as a pimp, prostitute and [blank]."

Students would solve the math problems then learn the corresponding answers to the English questions.

After parents complained, Jacqueline Rattigan, Pennridge Superintendent, issued a statement, saying that "We apologize to anyone who was offended by the content of the assignment and have taken steps to avoid such occurrences in the future."

She is also quoted as explaining, "The homework worksheet in question was downloaded from a website that allows teachers around the world to share educational resources. It is not part of our approved curriculum."