Parents at Ben Hill Middle School were taken back when they saw a questionable reading survey come home with their sixth graders.
The school's reading coach sent home a questionnaire asking the students what types of books they like to read.
Sean Phillips was shocked when he and his son noticed question number 19. It read, "List the subjects you would like to read about. (teen pregnancy, rape, gangs, etc.)
Phillips' son Morgan told his dad he wasn't sure what those words meant.
"His second day of middle school and they introduce him to the word 'rape,'" said Phillips. "I just stared at it for five minutes before I could react. I was in shock. It's something you don't expect an 11-year-old to bring home."
Principal Jackie Scaglione says it was an unfortunate accident and has notified and apologized to the 25 parents who were sent the survey. The school's reading coach accidentally used an outdated template from years ago, not approved for younger students. The coach didn't catch the inappropriate words in parenthesis until it was too late.
"I don't know why they were put there," said Scaglione. "It is inappropriate for a middle school or high school."
Phillips accepted the school's apology, but says it didn't make it any easier trying to explain to his child what rape means.
"I just told him it was one of the worst things you could probably ever do to someone short of killing them," said Phillips. "He kind of understood it was pretty bad and we left it at that."
Now Phillips is leaving the incident behind him, and hoping nothing like this happens again.