A Utah charter school has reversed its decision to offer parents a chance to have their kids opt out of Black History Month.
Initially first reported by the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, Utah, the story reported that the Director of Maria Montessori Academy Micah Hirokawa posted on the school's Facebook page that he had sent out a letter Friday that would let parents "to exercise their civil rights to not participate in Black History Month at the school." That page has been taken down.
According to reporting from The Washington Post, "...Hirokawa emphasized that he was deeply disappointed that parents had even made such a request. 'I personally see a lot of value in teaching our children about the mistreatment, challenges, and obstacles that people of color in our Nation have had to endure and what we can do today to ensure that such wrongs don’t continue,” he wrote, according to the paper.'"
According to USA Today and other media reports, the NAACP for the Ogden branch reached out to the school Saturday regarding the decision.
On its school website, there is now this public statement: "The Maria Montessori Academy Board of Directors and the School Director have one primary goal – providing a quality and equitable education to all of our students. Celebrating Black History Month is part of our tradition. We regret that after receiving requests, an opt-out form was sent out concerning activities planned during this month of celebration. We are grateful that families that initially had questions and concerns have willingly come to the table to resolve any differences and at this time no families are opting out of our planned activities and we have removed this option. In the future, we will handle all parental concerns on an individual basis. We are excited to celebrate the rich content of Black History Month at our school."
"Celebrating Black History Month is part of our tradition. We regret that after receiving requests, an opt-out form was sent out concerning activities planned during this month of celebration. We are grateful that families that initially had questions and concerns have willingly come to the table to resolve any differences and at this time no families are opting out of our planned activities and we have removed this option. In the future, we will handle all parental concerns on an individual basis. We are excited to celebrate the rich content of Black History Month at our school," wrote the Director Micah Hirokawa on the Facebook group "Utah Montessorians" on Sunday.
Hirokawa wrote in the Facebook post Sunday that "It's been a tough road as we work to honor and follow each child's and each adult's personal journey."