A concerned mother pulled her daughter out of a Texas middle school after a teacher instructed students to play a "seducing hooke...
A concerned mother pulled her daughter out of a Texas middle school after a teacher instructed students to play a "seducing hookers" game during class.
Laura MarÃa Gruber, who was born in Puerto Rico, was told by her young daughter that her teacher directed seventh-grade students to play a game called "Bear-Hunter-Hooker" during a Social Emotional Learning class at KIPP Poder Academy in San Antonio on Sept. 2, 2022. Gruber found out that the game is an adult drinking game version of Rock-Paper-Scissors.
In the Bear-Hunter-Hooker game, two participants must strike a pose at the exact same moment – either hands up like a bear, hands positioned as a hunter holding a gun, or as a "seducing hooker" with one hand on the hip and the other behind the ear.
The daughter said students were bribed with candy to participate in the game.
"My daughter was so grossed out and embarrassed," Gruber revealed. "She said the boys and the teacher were laughing."
Gruber was appalled that the charter school was encouraging young teens into playing games with sexual themes and nods to gun violence.
"Another little girl in the class had been sexually assaulted, so the experience was especially cringe for her," the mom claimed.
"The worst part is that this school is in the inner city and San Antonio is well known as being a child sex trafficking hub," Gruber added.
Gruber yanked her daughter out of the charter a week after the incident.
Gruber – a self-described "woke" liberal – said she felt let down by the progressive school and politicians.
Gruber continued, "The teacher was pretty young, so you can imagine what kind of people are coming out of universities now to teach our kids."
"I really feel like I've been had," the incensed mother said. “I wanted my child to go to this school for the diversity and trusted them. But I didn’t realize it would involve sexual diversity and kids being sexualized."
"I was a woke committed liberal until this game and school came into my life… seeing how KIPP exploited Latino children, and then how all the progressive politicians and organizations I sought support from didn’t give this issue a time of day…that really gave me an aha moment as to who's really doing the work needed to stop the sexualization of kids," Gruber said, according to Fox News.
Gruber was determined to get a resolution to the disturbing incident at the school.
After nearly six months of battling with the school, KIPP administrators admitted that the seducing hooker game was inappropriate, but claimed that the hooker game did not sexualize children.
"While we always chase excellence as a core value, sometimes we stumble," KIPP Poder Academy principal Stephanie Lee wrote in a letter to families in February. "When we do, we own up to our mistakes, correct wrongs, and commit to do better."
Lee confessed that a school instructor had middle-school students play the Bear-Hunter-Hooker game, and admitted that the activity "did not meet our bar of excellence."
"While the intent was never to sexualize a child, I recognize that impact may have caused students to feel uncomfortable or traumatized," Lee said. "That does not honor the respect we aim to teach our students at all times; in truth, it is degrading."
"The term ‘hooker’ is an unkind word and not one you should use or repeat," the letter read.
The Texas principal said the matter was addressed with the teacher, who "acknowledged and understood the concern and deeply regretted playing this game."
The school said all teachers would undergo additional training on what is "appropriate and inappropriate behaviors with students."
Lee apologized for not addressing the issue sooner.
KIPP, the Knowledge is Power Program, is a progressive network of public schools that strives to "embrace, honor, and celebrate our differences across race, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, gender orientation, physical abilities, socio-economic class, and other characteristics that construct our unique identities."
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