An assignment at Lincoln Southeast High School directing students to determine how aspects of the school and community "imply a design or orientation towards specific gender" has garnered attention online after it began circulating on social media Wednesday night.Â
The assignment titled "I Spy" asked students in an elective upper-level literature class to walk around the high school to observe how spaces, decorations and utilities relate to gender.
It first began getting attention Wednesday night when the popular social media account "Libs of TikTok" posted a photo of the assignment on X, formerly Twitter.Â
Libs of TikTok is a handle for various far-right and anti-LGBT social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent.
The post has since been circulating around social media, and has captured the attention of Nebraska State Board of Education member Kirk Penner, who said he is currently looking into the situation, but was unable to provide further comment Thursday morning.Â
However, a spokesperson for Lincoln Public Schools told the Journal Star the district had not received any complaints or feedback on the assignment from parents of students in the class. The district has, however, been contacted by several community members since the assignment began circulating online, but none of them have had children in the course.
The assignment was given to students to prepare them to read "Herland," a 1915 novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman about a dystopian society made up entirely of women.
Students were directed to look at things such as classrooms, halls, spaces, bathroom placement, athletic fixtures, school insignia and mission statements to see if, and how, gender plays a role in the structure of the school.Â
Once students were done observing examples of implicit gender within the school and talking with others about their thoughts, they were asked to write their findings down. The assignment provided a couple of examples, including the school mascot, the Knights, and the amount and size of mirrors in the female restrooms versus the male restrooms.Â
The students were then asked to do the same outside of school and in the community.Â
The assignment was approved by LPS prior to being given to students, and could also be used at any other LPS high school for upper-level elective literature courses. Southeast is currently the only school known to be using it, according to the spokesperson.Â
The district also said the assignment aligns with several state English Language Arts standards by having students cite relevant and thorough textual evidence to support ideas and evaluate the development of implied themes and an author’s use of point of view.
Photos: Students practice for 75th annual Lincoln All-City Music Festival