What does school case say about us?

Ms. Sarah Inama is a 6th-grade history teacher at a middle school in Meridian, Idaho, who was told to remove two posters in her classroom that have been on display for five years.

The first poster is an illustration of hands in different skin tones with the message EVERYONE IS WELCOMED HERE. The second poster is a listing of words that begin with the statement, “In this classroom everyone is welcomed, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued, equal.”

The principal and vice principal told her these posters were inappropriate and controversial, and they would have to be removed. Ms. Inama initially complied with this request but decided to reinstall them because of the values they speak to and the message she wished all her student would feel and hear.

In follow-up meetings with the school’s attorney and other school officials, they noted that the political climate had changed and used some vague school policy as a rationale for their removal. She refused and her job is at risk.

It is clear from the reporting on this matter that the only children who are welcomed are white children. That is the position that should be considered inappropriate and controversial. If ALL children cannot be welcomed in school, what does this say about us as a society and what we have become?

William J. Filstead

Arlington Heights