Rhythm Pacheco, a 10-year-old fourth grader from Utah, refused to answer a math test question after deeming it offensive, and wrote her explanation directly to her teacher.
Her mother Naomi had been checking her daughter's homework when she discovered the response. The math question asked students to compare the weights of three Grade 4 girls and determine "how much heavier" one was compared to the lightest student. Rhythm circled the question and wrote: "This is offensive. Sorry I won't right this it's rood."
Concerned about getting in trouble, Rhythm also wrote a separate letter to her teacher: "I don't want to be rude, but I think that math problem wasn't very nice. I thought that was judging people's weight."
Her teacher at Grant Elementary School in Murray, Utah, was supportive. Naomi shared a photo on social media, where viewers widely praised the girl for standing up for her beliefs. The Murray City School District said the curriculum was from Eureka Math, which they had adopted that year. The district's Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning noted that previous problems in the set compared watermelons and Saint Bernards.
Eureka Math later released a statement apologizing for any discomfort caused and pledging to replace the question in future reprints.