NORWALK — A social studies textbook that says some slaves in Connecticut were cared for like family members is being pulled from fourth-grade classrooms in Norwalk.
Norwalk public school officials said they began reviewing the book, “The Connecticut Adventure,” after a parent raised concerns last month about its depiction of slavery.
Hearst Connecticut Media reports the district’s chief academic officer, Michael Conner, said in a letter to parents that the textbook minimizes the impact and implications of slavery.
The book by John W. Ifkovic was published in 2001 by Gibbs Smith Publishing. In a chapter on slavery in Connecticut, the book says, “Compared to other colonies, Connecticut did not have many slaves. Some people owned one or two slaves. They often cared for and protected them like members of the family.”
