According to Idaho, Welcoming Everyone is “Contrary to the unity of the nation and the well-being of the state of Idaho and its citizens.”

KTVB recently reported that Sarah Inama, an Idaho teacher, was ordered to take down a poster featuring 10 hands of different skin colors with the message “Everyone is welcome here” and a similar poster which said “In this room everyone is important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued, equal” because they were deemed a violated of school district policy and was not conducive to a learning environment. When she objected, officials cited Idaho code 33-138, which was a law passed in 2021.

This law, aimed at banning “critical race theory” in schools, prohibits materials that “exacerbate and inflame divisions on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or other criteria in ways contrary to the unity of the nation and the well-being of the state of Idaho and its citizens.”

This law also added that “No course of instruction or unit of study directing or otherwise compelling students to personally affirm, adopt, or adhere to any of the tenets identified in paragraph (a) of this subsection shall be used or introduced in any institution of higher education, any school district, or any public school, including a public charter school.”

Thus, by the actions that were taken against this teacher, the West Ada School District and the State of Idaho effectively argue that saying “Everyone is welcome here” is contrary to the unity of the nation and the well-being of the state of Idaho and its citizens, and students should not be taught that everyone is welcome.

Who is responsible?

I believe that it is important that the people who are responsible are kept accountable. As I see it, there are West Ada School District officials as well as Idaho legislators that are responsible for this. Therefore, I will give the names, photos, and links to profiles to these people. All of this information is public information which comes from government websites.

West Ada School District Officials and Trustees

Chief among these people is Chief Academic Officer Marcus Myers, who, according to KTVB, “highlighted specific policy sections in an email exchange, emphasizing that district facilities should be “content neutral” and respect others’ right to express differing opinions”, thus seeking to permit voices which want to push a narrative that certain people are not welcome in public schools and silencing those who are promote an environment of welcoming.