A mother of twin daughters is outraged after she said her children were asked to clean cotton for an assignment at their school in Spokane, Washington.

On May 3, 14-year-olds Emzayia and Zyeshauwne Feazell said their teacher forced students to pick cotton for an activity during a social studies class at Sacajawea Middle School, according to local news station KXLY 4 News Now.

“For you to pass out cotton and to my children [and tell them] that essentially, they’re going to pick the cotton clean and it’s a race of who can get it clean first, that was extremely bothersome to me and my children,” the twin girls’ mother, Brandi Feazell, told ABC News. “Under no circumstance … do they need to be taught what it’s like to be a slave or what it’s like to be Black.”

The twins said they were just as “hurt” to be subjected to the offensive lesson.

“I was shocked that a teacher would bring a box of cotton into a class and tell them to pick it clean so she could teach us how slaves were back then,” Emzayia said.

Following the incident, Brandi took the issue up with the school’s principal assistant, who suggested she “segregate” her daughters from the classroom. Instead, the mother decided to remove her daughters from the school entirely.

“[The teacher] is still at work and yet my kids are being punished when I’m told that the best thing they could do for my kids at that point was to segregate them into a room by themselves away from the white teacher,” Brandi said.

At home, the mother said she works to uplift her children and help them understand their worth.

“I reinforced to my daughters that they are worthy and their value,” Brandi said. “That was a horrible time in our history and we should be learning from that and it should never be repeated.”

In a statement released to 4 News Now, the Spokane Public Schools district said the students in Emzayia and Zyeshauwne’s class were learning about the cotton gin and that there are “conflicting reports” regarding the incident. It said it was looking to share the findings of its independent investigation when completed.

“The students were learning about the industrial revolution and the Cotton Gin was discussed. We take all complaints very seriously and are committed to investigating them fully. There are conflicting reports to this incident. Once the third party investigation is completed, we look forward to coming back to share the outcomes,” the statement read.

The SPS added that it “is committed to transparency, as well as making sure all our students, families, and staff feel supported and heard.”

Since the incident transpired, Brandi has reached out to TeamChild and ACLU-WA for legal assistance and guidance, 4 News Now reports. 

“Now [Spokane Public Schools] has an opportunity to step up to the plate and respond and the community is watching,” Kendrick Washington, Youth Policy Counsel with ACLU-WA, said.

The Washington mother and her daughters are now demanding that the social studies teacher and other school officials be disciplined for mismanaging the situation. They are also calling for a public apology, and the removal of the principal assistant, according to ABC News.