The Associated Press

OBERLIN, Ohio - A group of parents is upset over a possible scheduling move that could result in a white teacher leading classes in black history.

The parents have raised a racial issue that has bedeviled educators for years: Should only black teachers teach black history?

A scheduling conflict could cause the district to reassign the black teacher who has taught the course for seven years.

Jaqui Willis, a black Oberlin parent, said the teacher is a role model and that removing him from the class would be detrimental to students.

Using a white teacher at Oberlin High School would send the wrong message to black students, said A.G. Miller, an associate professor of American and African religious history at Oberlin College.

The parents have protested the move to the school board. Superintendent Beverly Reep has declined to comment.