Outrage as Texas high school lists Kyle Rittenhouse as 'modern day hero'

An assignment at a high school in Dallas asked students to write an essay on a modern-day hero – and one of the options was Kyle Rittenhouse.

At W.T. White High School in Dallas, Texas, there was a two-part assignment given to students as part of an English class. The first was to write a half-page biography for six people, and the second part included writing an essay on one of those people who the student best felt ‘demonstrated the concept of a hero’.

The six people included some familiar names – such as Malcolm X, Cesar Chavez, Mahatma Gandhi, George Floyd. The sixth was Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenage vigilante with affiliations to the right-wing militia in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who shot and killed two protesters in August.

One of the other options was Joseph Rosenbaum – who was one of the people shot by Rittenhouse. People also pointed out that there were a few spelling mistakes too, which led some to wonder whether it was authentic (it has since been confirmed as real).

Rittenhouse faces homicide charges, as well as a felony charge for attempted homicide.

A sister of one of the students who was given this assignment criticised it in an interview with KTVT, a local news station and affiliate with CNN. Kristian, who was identified only by her first name, told the news station.

It was just like, 'Oh my gosh, the spelling,' 'Oh my gosh, there are no women on here,' and then very ardently the fact that a White supremacist murderer's name is on a list with important historical figures.

The director of news and information for Dallas ISD, Robyn Harris, told CNN that she didn’t know how long the assignment had been up for, but she didn’t “get the sense that anyone turned it in.” They also did not identify the teacher who made the assignment, but only said that they were taking “appropriate steps.”