Latest news with #LewisandClarkMiddleSchool
New York Post
03-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Idaho AG bans ‘Everyone is Welcome Here' signs at public schools, says the ‘political statement' violates state law
Idaho's attorney general has ruled that the 'Everyone is Welcome Here' signs that stirred up controversy for 'inadvertently' sparking division must be removed from every public school in the state. A legal opinion was released on Friday by Attorney General Raúl Labrador's office that officially banned signs like the one Lewis and Clark Middle School teacher Sarah Inama displayed in her classroom in February. The AG's office found that banners like Inama's, which read 'Everyone is Welcome Here,' violates the state's vague House Bill 41 prohibiting flags or banners alluding to or depicting any political viewpoint in public schools. Advertisement 'These signs are part of an ideological/social movement which started in Twin Cities, Minnesota following the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Since that time, the signs have been used by the Democratic party as a political statement. The Idaho Democratic Party even sells these signs as part of its fundraising efforts,' the office's statement said. 3 A legal opinion released by the Idaho Attorney General's Office determined that the 'Everyone is Welcome Here' banner can't be hung in public schools. KTVB-TV Inama made headlines last winter when the West Ada School District ordered her to remove her 'Everyone is Welcome Here' sign featuring cartoon hands in various skin tones. Advertisement Inama originally took the poster down, but had a change of heart and put it back up over the weekend. The district administration asserted that Inama needed to take it down because the message 'is not something that everybody believes,' she told KTVB. According to emails from the district obtained by the Idaho Statesman, the district took issue with the different skin-toned hands, which apparently violated the state's requirement that all displayed content be 'neutral and conducive to a positive learning environment.' 3 The opinion asserted that the banner was 'part of an ideological/social movement.' Advertisement The Idaho Democratic Party started to sell the merchandise inspired by the posters on March 25 'after hearing from Idahoans who wanted a way to show support for Ms. Inama,' the party's communications director Avery Roberts wrote in an email to The Post. 'Across the state, parents and teachers, regardless of their political affiliations, want children to have a fair shot. They're working hard to build strong public schools where every student feels welcome and has the support they need to succeed,' Roberts wrote. 3 The teacher at the center of the poster controversy has hung up the poster annually since 2017. Lewis and Clark Middle School 'We're not doing this to make money. The signs and stickers barely cover costs. What matters is the message. Taking a stand against discrimination shouldn't be a partisan issue, and we hope leaders in every party see it that way.' Advertisement The office's opinion goes on to note that Inama began displaying the signs in her classroom shortly after Trump's first term in 2017 and accused her of hanging it to 'share her personal, ideological beliefs.' Per the office's opinion, certain types of student artwork could also be prohibited from being hung in schools.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Not a political statement': West Ada controversy spurs ‘positivity' in Boise schools
A sign that reads 'Everyone is welcome here' might be considered political and controversial in the West Ada School District, but in Boise, administrators and teachers beg to differ. Boise educators — along with other participating community members — took to social media on Monday to post photos of themselves wearing shirts depicting the message and image from a sign that West Ada leaders said broke school policy because it wasn't 'content neutral and conducive to a positive learning environment.' West Ada has faced backlash since it became public that the district told Sarah Inama, a 35-year-old world civilization teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Meridian, to remove two signs from her classroom in February. One sign read, 'Everyone is welcome here,' above hands of different skin tones. Another read, 'In this room, everyone is welcome, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued,' with each word highlighted in a different color. Inama briefly took them down, before returning them to their previous places. 'There's nothing wrong with (the messages),' Inama told the Idaho Statesman. 'It's not a personal opinion. It's not a political opinion. I am really skeptical of what type of differing view is trying to be protected here.' Community members responded by creating T-shirts out of the sign's image, and thousands were purchased. Boise resident Angela Voll created a Facebook event asking everyone to wear the shirt Monday and share a photo. 'If you've purchased an 'Everyone Is Welcome Here' shirt, we encourage you and your children to wear it proudly on this day,' Voll's event page read. 'Let's fill our schools, workplaces, and communities with a visible reminder that inclusion matters.' Boise School District spokesperson Dan Hollar told the Statesman that its staff participated as a 'visible reminder to our community of our commitment to welcoming and serving all students, regardless of their background, identity, or beliefs.' 'This message is not a political statement — it's a reflection of our core values. We are here to teach and support every student who walks through our doors. We strive to provide a safe, secure and supportive learning environment where each and every student can learn, grow and thrive. 'We felt it was important to publicly reaffirm these values, especially in light of the conversations currently happening in our state and across our nation. Our intention was not to criticize another district, but to remind our own community that we are committed to creating schools where every student feels like they belong and are supported in their learning.' Teachers from schools across Boise posted photos of themselves donning the shirts or hanging similar signs on Monday, including staff at Trail Wind Elementary, Riverglen Junior High, Koelsch Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary, Centennial High, Boise High, North Junior, Adams Elementary, Liberty Elementary and Rolling Hills Public Charter School. Borah High School's staff also participated, even posting a video of its staff posing in various ways while wearing their shirts. Chris Stewart, the man who led the creation of the shirts, now wants to make a standing event in which people wear the shirts on the first Monday of every month. 'It's a simple way to keep the message going and growing,' Stewart posted on social media. 'Keep posting your photos and using the hashtags — this movement has already sparked so much positivity, and this will help it grow even more organically. Let's officially make the first Monday of every month 'Everyone Is Welcome Day.''
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
An Idaho Teacher Refused To Remove An "Everyone Is Welcome Here" Sign From Their Classroom Despite Pressure From Their School District, And It's Sparking A Ton Of Debate
Following President Trump's anti-DEI lead, many school districts in red states have changed their policies about what messages are no longer allowed in the classroom, and it's become a slippery slope. Well, an Idaho teacher has recently gone viral for defying her school district by refusing to remove two signs from her classroom walls. One sign says, "Everyone Is Welcome Here," and includes multi-colored hands holding hearts. And another sign says: "In this room, everyone is welcome, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued, and equal." Sarah Inama, a sixth-grade teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Meridian, Idaho, has taught World Civilization for years and recently told KTVB News that she'd never received any criticism for her classroom signs — until last month. "My building administration came to me during my lunch period and told me that they needed to be taken down by the end of the day," Inama said. "They told me that they were in violation of district policy because, in today's political environment, they're considered a 'personal opinion.'" "Because I was told to take it down by the end of the day, I did so," Inama continued. "And the following few days, I was was just so unsettled by it. And so I went back into my classroom and put it back up. And I emailed my principal and said I just, 'I don't agree. I don't agree that this is a personal opinion. I think this is the basis of public education.'" Inama said school officials followed up with her again. "They came to talk to me, and again, asked me to take it down, and I said, 'I'm not interested in taking it down.'" Inama was then apparently sent an email by the Chief academic officer highlighting district policy that she was violating: "School property shall not be used by personnel for the advancement of individual beliefs. It is the desire of the District that the physical environment of District facilities be content-neutral, conducive to a positive learning environment and not a distraction to the education environment." "While we respect individuals' rights to express their perspectives, it is important to reaffirm that this situation is not about limiting speech or expression but about ensuring consistency in our classrooms and maintaining a learning environment free from distraction," a statement sent to Today from Chief of Staff of Communications at West Ada School District said. "'Everyone is welcome here,' especially since the poster emphasizes in regards to skin color, with the image of the hands, that is considered something that people have differing views on," Inama said, explaining her understanding of what the district communicated to her. "I just feel like, as a teacher, and probably a lot of teachers share this sentiment, I would do anything to protect my students. I love all of them unconditionally. We protect them from danger. Quite literally would take a bullet for these students. And this is the one small thing I feel like I can do to speak out against this and stand up for them to protect them from being affected by racist sentiments affecting their classroom." "I find it hard to grapple with the fact that the reason why this poster needs to come down is because there are people outside of our school that disagree with it." In response to this news, students from Renaissance High School, located in the same town, protested the Idaho School District's decision in support of Inama, shouting, "Do your job!" to district officials. According to Today, Inama has been notified that the signs must be removed by the end of the school year, or further action may be taken. An official statement about the decision from the Chief of Staff from Communications at West Ada School District can be read in full here. Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul, who is from Idaho, weighed in on Instagram, calling the decision "insane," and telling Idaho to "do better." "They are trying to force this teacher to take down an 'Everyone is Welcome Here.' How sick is our country that this is a remotely controversial statement for a teacher to make to her students?" one person wrote. "They should post a poster with the slogan 'Only some people are welcome' and see what the response is. Possibly, a poster that says, 'It is not the official policy of our school that all children are welcome,'" one person recommended. "When the district starts trying to appease the racists, you know we're going down a very grim path," one person wrote in the r/Teachers subreddit. Of course, not everyone is in support of the teacher's decision to keep the signs up. "Public schools are not a place for propaganda," one person wrote. Still, Inama has refused to take the signs down despite possible repercussions. "There's no way I would be able to allow myself to just take it down and roll over to what I feel like they're asking me to do," she told Today. You can watch Inama's full interview with KTVB News here. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
Buzz Feed
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
An Idaho Teacher Refused To Remove An "Everyone Is Welcome Here" Sign From Their Classroom Despite Pressure From Their School District, And It's Sparking A Ton Of Debate
Hot Topic Following President Trump's anti-DEI lead, many school districts in red states have changed their policies about what messages are no longer allowed in the classroom, and it's become a slippery slope. Well, an Idaho teacher has recently gone viral for defying her school district by refusing to remove two signs from her classroom walls. One sign says, "Everyone Is Welcome Here," and includes multi-colored hands holding hearts. And another sign says: "In this room, everyone is welcome, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued, and equal." Sarah Inama, a sixth-grade teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Meridian, Idaho, has taught World Civilization for years and recently told KTVB News that she'd never received any criticism for her classroom signs — until last month. "My building administration came to me during my lunch period and told me that they needed to be taken down by the end of the day," Inama said. "They told me that they were in violation of district policy because, in today's political environment, they're considered a 'personal opinion.'" "Because I was told to take it down by the end of the day, I did so," Inama continued. "And the following few days, I was was just so unsettled by it. And so I went back into my classroom and put it back up. And I emailed my principal and said I just, 'I don't agree. I don't agree that this is a personal opinion. I think this is the basis of public education.'" Inama said school officials followed up with her again. "They came to talk to me, and again, asked me to take it down, and I said, 'I'm not interested in taking it down.'" Inama was then apparently sent an email by the Chief academic officer highlighting district policy that she was violating: "School property shall not be used by personnel for the advancement of individual beliefs. It is the desire of the District that the physical environment of District facilities be content-neutral, conducive to a positive learning environment and not a distraction to the education environment." "While we respect individuals' rights to express their perspectives, it is important to reaffirm that this situation is not about limiting speech or expression but about ensuring consistency in our classrooms and maintaining a learning environment free from distraction," a statement sent to Today from Chief of Staff of Communications at West Ada School District said. "'Everyone is welcome here,' especially since the poster emphasizes in regards to skin color, with the image of the hands, that is considered something that people have differing views on," Inama said, explaining her understanding of what the district communicated to her. "I just feel like, as a teacher, and probably a lot of teachers share this sentiment, I would do anything to protect my students. I love all of them unconditionally. We protect them from danger. Quite literally would take a bullet for these students. And this is the one small thing I feel like I can do to speak out against this and stand up for them to protect them from being affected by racist sentiments affecting their classroom." "I find it hard to grapple with the fact that the reason why this poster needs to come down is because there are people outside of our school that disagree with it." In response to this news, students from Renaissance High School, located in the same town, protested the Idaho School District's decision in support of Inama, shouting, "Do your job!" to district officials. Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul, who is from Idaho, weighed in on Instagram, calling the decision "insane," and telling Idaho to "do better." "They are trying to force this teacher to take down an 'Everyone is Welcome Here.' How sick is our country that this is a remotely controversial statement for a teacher to make to her students?" one person wrote. "They should post a poster with the slogan 'Only some people are welcome' and see what the response is. Possibly, a poster that says, 'It is not the official policy of our school that all children are welcome,'" one person recommended. "When the district starts trying to appease the racists, you know we're going down a very grim path," one person wrote in the r/Teachers subreddit. Of course, not everyone is in support of the teacher's decision to keep the signs up. "Public schools are not a place for propaganda," one person wrote. @SarahisCensored / Via Still, Inama has refused to take the signs down despite possible repercussions. "There's no way I would be able to allow myself to just take it down and roll over to what I feel like they're asking me to do," she told Today.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boise business responds to West Ada poster removal: ‘One sign comes down, 1,000s go up'
A Meridian teacher was told to remove a sign from her classroom because it violated district policy on 'content-neutral classrooms.' Now, a Boise business is showing support by making T-shirts emblazoned with the sign. The sign and T-shirt say, 'Everyone is welcome here,' above hands of different skin tones holding hearts. Sarah Inama, a world civilization teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Meridian, said she was told by administrators in February that her sign didn't 'allow people to express differing opinions, that it is controversial in today's political environment,' the Idaho Statesman reported. A spokesperson for the West Ada School District later clarified that the problem with the sign wasn't its welcoming message, but the imagery of hands with different skin tones, which 'aligns with themes commonly associated with DEI initiatives.' Inama's story made national news. In the days since, the teacher said she has received an outpouring of support from parents, fellow teachers and former students. Now, two friends in Boise have teamed up take the support 'worldwide.' The idea started when former Kiss FM radio host Chris Stewart, known as Lucky the DJ, heard about Inama's story and wanted to get students and teachers in the district to wear shirts displaying the welcoming message. 'One sign comes up, thousands go up,' Stewart told the Statesman. Stewart called Shawn Wright, owner of Brigade Screen Printing in Boise, with the idea. Neither expected that days later, they'd have sold over 15,000 of the shirts — at cost. The shirts and hoodies range from $18 to $36, according to Brigade's website. 'It just blew up,' Stewart said. Wright's eight-person team at Brigade — located at 6902 S. Eisenman Road — has been pulling 15 and 16-hour days to produce the shirts in response to the orders pouring in from across the country and around the world. Wright and Stewart told the Statesman that they've received orders from Germany, Mexico, Canada, Australia, and South Africa, among others. They've also engaged the help of dozens of volunteers, including Julie Wiley, a former school counselor, who said she was 'grateful' to be able to help spread a positive, welcoming message and to see the community come together. 'This kind of thing, a poster like this, has been our classrooms ... since we were kids,' Wiley said. 'Of course everyone's welcome. It's the law.' 'That's one of the best things about America, is everyone can come and get an education and be able to move forward,' Wiley said. Stewart said that part of the initiative is a social media campaign instructing individuals to post a picture of themselves wearing the T-shirt or hoodie on Monday paired with the hashtags #EveryoneIsWelcome, #InclusiveIdaho, or #WestAdaSchools. Volunteers told the Statesman they plan to wear the shirts around town or while picking up kids from school. One volunteer, John Shoemaker, told the Statesman he wouldn't be getting his own shirt until everyone else who wanted one had one — but he bought two for his grandchildren in Washington state. 'I don't think the story is the sign coming down,' Stewart said. 'I think the story is all the signs going up.' Brigade is hosting an event this weekend where people who ordered the shirts online may pick them up. The event will take place from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday at 6902 S. Eisenman Road. KTVB reported earlier on Stewart and Wright's initiative. 'Content neutral'? West Ada says policy directs school to remove 'everyone is welcome' sign 'We will fight': West Ada to restructure alternative schools despite parental pleas 'Nobody thinks it's happening': Parents decry racism — and denial — in Boise-area schools
