Teacher assigns students gory work

Missouri (USA): A high school teacher has apologised for asking students to write about who they would kill and how they would do it.

Michael Maxwell, who teaches industrial technology at Central High School, said his requesting students in the beginning of his drafting class to describe how they would carry out a murder was merely a writing prompt.

But it was not clear why he had asked the drafting class to write fiction. Around 25 to 30 students from ninth through 12th grades were in his class.

"I made a horrible mistake that I regret," Maxwell said. "I want to apologise to my students, my colleagues and to the community."

The April 21 writing request, which Maxwell said was not a formal assignment, came to the attention of administrators when a parent of one of the students filed a complaint with the school Principal Barton Albright.

Albright expressed regret and apologised for Maxwell's lapse of judgment.

"He's an exemplary person and his this behaviour is very out of character," the principal said.

The School District spokesman Steve Huff declined to discuss possible disciplinary measures because the matter is considered a personnel issue.

But he said the incident probably isn't serious enough to cost Maxwell his job.