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Parents complain after Toledo area school sings cotton picking song

Springfield Schools Superintendent Matt Geha says the song came from a book of American folk music.

TOLEDO (AP) - Some parents at a northwest Ohio middle school say they were shocked to hear an eighth-grade choir sing about picking cotton not long after students in the district took photos and videos of themselves with a Confederate flag outside the high school.

The Blade reports "Cotton Needs Pickin'" was performed Thursday during the fall concert at Springfield Middle School in Lucas County. Parent Nicole Maulsby posted a video of the performance on Facebook.

Maulsby and online commenters say a song about workers happily picking cotton is a racist reference to slaves toiling in the fields of the south.

Springfield Schools Superintendent Matt Geha says the song came from a book of American folk music. He says he hadn't received any calls Friday but was aware of complaints on social media.

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