In Idaho schools, not everyone’s on same page with ‘Everyone is Welcome’ guidance
BOISE – Idaho Department of Education guidance that was based on a legal opinion from Attorney General Raúl Labrador hasn’t stopped the debate around whether “Everyone is Welcome Here” signs in school classrooms violate a new state law.
The Boise School District on Thursday released a statement saying that every student should feel welcome in school environments and that the district has a “legal and ethical obligation to provide an educational environment free from discrimination.”
Superintendent Lisa Roberts and school board Chair Dave Wagers in the release said that “while the guidance provided by the State Department of Education implies that the sign would not be allowed,” the district would have the backs of educators who displayed it in their classrooms.
“The ‘Everyone is Welcome Here’ sign affirms a foundational principle of public education – that every student, regardless of their background, is legally entitled to dignity, respect and a sense of belonging in their school community,” the release said.
In February, West Ada School District administrators ordered a teacher to take down a banner with the words “Everyone is Welcome Here,” which showed hands of various skin colors on it. The teacher, Sarah Inama, refused. West Ada administrators said the sign violated the district’s rule of using only “content-neutral” displays.
Since then, educators nationwide have posted flags, signs and banners in public schools in solidarity with Inama.
Inama, who had the sign displayed in her Lewis and Clark Middle School class, resigned from her job. She since has been hired by the Boise School District.
The Idaho Legislature this year passed House Bill 41, which Gov. Brad Little signed into law. It prevents teachers and administrators from posting banners or flags in public schools with political viewpoints. The state Department of Education released its guidance on the law just ahead of July 1, the date it went into effect.
That guidance, based on Labrador’s opinion that the sign was political in nature, stated that flags or banners showing opinions about politics, economics, society, faith or religion could not be displayed.
“For the attorney general to consider the message of welcoming children in a classroom to be a political ideology of one political party seems very alarming to me,” Inama told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview Thursday. “I stand firmly on the fact that no matter what they say, this is not a partisan issue.”
The West Ada School District previously told the Statesman that it “appreciated the guidance” from Labrador and state education officials, but that Boise’s stance likely means the issue is far from over and will be part of public discourse again in mid-August, when the new school year begins.
West Ada is the state’s largest district, with about 40,000 students. Boise is the second-largest, with roughly 24,000 students.
“We will continue to support our teachers who choose to display it in their classrooms,” the Boise administrators said in their release.
Inama will start her new job at East Junior High School in August.
“It’s just very comforting and reassuring that the school district that I work for understands the importance of the laws surrounding public education, and the importance of protecting educators’ rights and responsibilities to create inclusive places,” Inama said.