Latest news with #SarahInama
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chris Hayes: Idaho bans ‘Everyone Is Welcome Here' classroom signs, calling them ideological
This is an adapted excerpt from the July 2 episode of 'All In with Chris Hayes.' Back in March, we brought you the crazy story of Sarah Inama, a history teacher in Idaho who decorated her sixth-grade classroom with inspirational posters. Inama displayed signs with messages such as 'In This Room, Everyone Is Welcome, Important, Accepted, Respected, Encouraged, Valued, Equal,' along with an even more straightforward one showing children's raised hands with the tagline 'Everyone Is Welcome Here.' The posters showcased motivational messages simply meant to tell students: Whoever you are, you belong here. It is the type of poster that a lot of us probably saw growing up in classrooms. And it really shouldn't be controversial, but it was. Earlier this year, Inama shared that her school's administration ordered her to take down the posters. She said officials told her the signs were in violation of district policy and that, in 'today's political environment, they're considered a personal opinion.' Inama told a local news station that after meeting with administration officials, she went back to her classroom, put the signs back up and emailed her school's principal 'and said, 'I just ... I don't agree. I don't agree that this is a personal opinion. I feel like this is the basis of public education.'' Ultimately, Inama ended up resigning in May. And on July 1, a new law went into effect in Idaho that prohibits flags or banners depicting political viewpoints from being displayed in public K-12 classrooms. The state's attorney general, former Republican Rep. Raúl Labrador, put out guidance for enforcement of the new law, writing that the Idaho Department of Education 'must consider whether the displayed flag or banner illustrates or shows someone's opinion, emotions, beliefs, or thoughts regarding politics, economics, society, faith, or religion.' Now, if you're thinking, 'Oh, that's pretty general.' No, Labrador's guidance specifically references Inama and the phrase 'All Are Welcome Here.' 'These signs are part of an ideological/social movement which started in the Twin Cities, Minnesota following the 2016 election of Donald Trump,' it reads. Just to fact-check the attorney general, the signs he's referencing did start at a Twin Cities high school. But that was only after someone sprayed racist graffiti on the school on the heels of Trump's 2016 win. That incident spurred a group of local mothers to make the sign and reassure the kids that everyone is welcome. So, when you hear Republicans talking about fighting the 'woke' culture, keep an eye on what they decide to cancel because it 'might offend someone,' and then ask yourself: Who exactly is it that is offended by such a sign? This article was originally published on
Washington Post
03-07-2025
- General
- Washington Post
The Republican shift against American pluralism
There is a common aesthetic in elementary schools, one centered on rainbows and stars. The world is grueling and cruel, but we generally let that reality sink in only once kids get a bit older. Until then, our presentation is optimistic, cheery and equal. You can understand, then, why sixth-grade teacher Sarah Inama would have been surprised to learn that a banner hanging in her classroom was triggering an outcry. Showing a range of heart-holding hands, each in a different hue, the banner read, 'Everyone is welcome here.' It's an anodyne sentiment, at worst, but also a celebration of multiracial community. And for that reason — and explicitly that reason, as a school official explained in an interview in March — the banner was determined to be unacceptable.
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.''
