RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) Angry parents complained to school board members
about a teacher who gave a math test asking students to compute the street
value of cocaine and a hitman's salary.

The June 26 test has added up to trouble for math teacher Charles Sanders,
who passed it out to his summer class at Norte Vista High School.

The test for the summer math class apparently was meant as a joke, but
several students took it, said ninth grader Robert Salazar.

``I believe the gentleman should apologize,'' Robert's father, Joe Salazar,
told Alvord Unified School District members Thursday night.

Others demanded tougher action.

``We want him fired!'' said Louise Palomarez of the Mexican Political
Association. ``We don't want no damn apology.''

Sanders has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation
by the school district.

Sanders didn't attend the meeting, and could not be reached by phone.

But Leigh Hawkinson, president of the teacher's union, the Alvord Educators
Association, said in an interview that Sanders is ``acknowledging that he
made a mistake.''

``He is very apologetic. He apologized to the whole class at the time that it
happened and he is more than willing to apologize to anybody who is offended
by what has happened,'' she said. ``He just wants to wait and see what the
best way is to do this.''

School district officials said they have begun an investigation. Among the
questions is whether Sanders even meant to hand out the test. He told the
union the tests were in a pile of other papers and were mistakenly given to
students, Hawkinson said.

A black line at the top of the test asked for the student's name and gang
affiliation.

One of the question reads: `` has 2 ounces of cocaine and sells an 8ball
to for $320 and 2 grams to Billy for $85 per gram, what is the street
value of the balance of the cocaine if he doesn't cut it?''

Another question: `` is in prison sentenced to six years for murder. He
got $10,000 for the hit. If his commonlaw wife is spending $100 per month,
how much money will be left when he gets out of prison and how many years
will he get after he kills her for spending the money?''

Salazar said he doesn't agree with Sanders' tactics, but understood what he
was trying to do.

``I believe he directed this to the minority kids,'' he said. ``This is what
you kids know, so this is how you're going to learn.''

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