MERIDIAN, Idaho — West Ada School District students are gathering at the district offices Friday afternoon to write letters to administrators after a 6th grade World Civilizations middle school teacher was told to take down a sign that said, “Everyone is Welcome Here.”
This rally is just one of many ways that students, parents and community members have come together in the last few weeks. Idaho News 6 brought you coverage of the teacher herself, Sarah Inama volunteering to deliver T-shirts with the same saying on them after a local printing shop stepped up to make the inclusive shirts, and hundreds of community members ‘Chalking the Walk’ on Sunday night, only for their inclusive messages to be washed away come Monday morning.
The district stands by their policies and reasons for not allowing this sign in classrooms.
The Treasure Valley Students for Kindness group writes, “Considering recent events, including the West Ada school district ordering a teacher to remove a welcoming sign and the district erasure of community drawn, positive chalk messages at local schools students feel, though that it is more important than ever to make their voices heard and support our teachers. Therefore, we will come together to write encouraging letters to our teachers and letters, addressing our concerns to district leadership.”
Below is a transcript of the broadcast report
“Dear West Ada, I’m a student in the West Ada School District, I believe that everyone is welcome in our school district,” said Abby, a junior at Mountain View High School, sharing with me some of the letter she wrote to the district admin.
“It’s a fact that everyone is welcome because that’s what public education is for, and diversity is strength,” said Abby.
She’s one of the several students that spent time after class Friday to write letters in support of their teachers, and to call on West Ada staff and trustees to amend their classroom poster guidelines.
“A lot of the people who work in the district, I don’t think they realize how important it is for classrooms to look welcoming, not just feel welcoming,” said Zimmerman.
Renaissance High School senior Nate Zimmerman wrote to the district to have his voice heard… and he also wrote a letter of gratitude to his favorite English teacher:
“None of us have ever not felt welcome or loved in your classroom. You’ve taught us to recognize and cherish what makes us different. Our differences don’t divide us, they make us unique and make us who we are. A community that doesn’t cherish differences is a community that looks a lot like1984, The Handmaid's Tale, or Fahrenheit 451.”
The writing rally is just one of the many ways the community has come together after the news that the district wanted middle school teacher Sarah Inama to remove ‘welcome’ signs from her classroom… caught international attention.
Students and parents say they expect this kind of response from the district but want change.
“While this was sparked by her courage in reaching out, it’s not necessarily all about her, because we have seen instances of this happening where teachers didn’t feel comfortable speaking up,” said Zimmerman.
“If a sign that represents the children in the building goes against their policy, then maybe they should revisit their policy. Hopefully this was an unintended consequence that they can right,” said Erin Savoca, a West Ada Parent.
Some students even tell me that their friends were too nervous to come out Friday afternoon because they don’t feel welcome in the district.
“They’re afraid of getting in trouble or getting judged because [they’ve] set these precedents that speaking out about these things are wrong or they’re not neutral,” said Abby from Mountain View High School.
