Parents wanted to opt their children out of Black History Month. A Utah school ‘reluctantly’ let them. —Washington Post

When Black History Month began last week, some parents in the predominantly White community of North Ogden, Utah, didn’t see why their children had to participate. So they went to the head of Maria Montessori Academy, a public charter school with only three Black students, and demanded to “opt out.”

The school “reluctantly" allowed them to do so.

After a local newspaper reported on the decision, community leaders responded with outrage.

“I strongly believe we cannot learn American history without learning Black history,” U.S. Rep. Blake D. Moore, a Republican whose district includes North Ogden.

It’s not clear what reason parents gave for objecting to Black History Month. Hirokawa stated only that “a few families” had said that they didn’t want their children participating in activities, and declined to give a precise number to the Standard-Examiner. As the paper noted, data from the Utah State Board of Education shows that only three of the school’s 322 students from preschool to ninth grade are Black, while close to 70 percent of them are White.

According to KSL, all parents were sent a link to a Google document that they could fill out if they wanted their children to be excused from events and lessons related to Black History Month. Many community members were outraged, and questioned why students should be allowed to miss out on learning about a crucial component of American history.

“If they want to opt out, then perhaps the best thing they should do is homeschool their children,” Salt Lake City NAACP President Jeanetta Williams told the station. She suggested that the parents were “uncomfortable about talking about race and race relationships.”

➡️ Do you think parents should have the option to opt out of certain areas of curriculum? Why or why not?