Making education more inclusive is an approach being pushed by some local educators, following a controversial lesson plan.

A fourth grade teacher in the Watertown School District allegedly had students take part in a mock slave auction a few weeks ago.

Spectrum News sat down with SU's Professor of Inclusive Education, Mara Sapon Shevin, who says teachers need better training to prevent things like this from happening.

She notes they need the skills and knowledge to deal with diversity in the classroom. That does not just include race, but also class, gender, and sexuality, and it's something they might have to seek out on their own.

"So teachers really need to educate themselves. It's not really an excuse now to say I don't know enough about Mexicans to be able to do a good lesson.

Go learn, read, talk to people, find valid sources. You don't get to just fall back on your own ignorance. It's true a lot of us grew up without exposure to diversity, and so some of these things make people really uncomfortable," said Shevin said.

As for the teacher involved with that lesson plan, she has been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation.