OGDEN, Utah – An Ogden school reversed its decision to allow parents to opt out of the Black History Month curriculum after receiving resistance from the community.
The parents of the Maria Montessori Academy in North Ogden received an email informing them that they would have the option to exclude their children from the Black History Month classes and events that were planned throughout February.
WATCH: Black Artists Presented at New Exhibition at Utah’s Museum of Fine Arts
The statement was posted on the school’s Facebook page, but has since been removed from the website.
“I don’t know exactly why someone thought they should send a document saying, you know, ‘I don’t want my son to participate in this activity,'” said Jaime Tracey, the father of a student at the school. “That’s what the document says.”
Tracey’s daughter has been a student at the Maria Montessori Academy for seven years.
“This is the first year that something has been discussed about Black History Month,” she added.
She said she has been working for years to include Black History Month on the school curriculum.
“I’ve been insisting on this forever,” said Tracey.
Lex Scott, the founder of Black Lives Matter Utah, said the decision to allow parents to choose to leave is a dire one.
“You cannot choose to leave black history. Black history is American history,” said Scott. “So it absolutely comes from a place of racism and ignorance.”
READ: U of U’s Black Cultural Center celebrates Black History Month
In a follow-up email sent to parents on Thursday, the school principal, Micah Hirokawa, said he is deeply saddened and disappointed that parents have chosen to leave their children off the Black History Month curriculum. . In the email, Hirokawa added that, as an Asian American whose great-grandparents were thrown into internment camps, he values teaching students about “the mistreatment, challenges and obstacles that people in our country have had to endure.”
“It is heartbreaking that anyone who runs a school believes that everything is fine in some way, that it is acceptable in any way, to try to prohibit talking about black history,” added Scott.
Hirokawa was hired to replace the school’s former principal in April 2020. Tracey said he believes he made a genuine effort to include Black History Month classes as part of the school’s curriculum.
“I knew he was as surprised as I am that many families probably sent the paperwork not to participate,” said Tracey.
READ: The 5-year-old Detroit girl dresses up as notable figures and teaches for Black History Month
Scott added that the possibility for parents to refuse should not have been an option in the first place.
“He needs to learn from this, he needs to apologize and make sure that all the kids at that school learn about the history of black people,” she said.
Utah law it allows parents to exclude their children from parts of the curriculum based on religious beliefs or the right of conscience. But a representative of the Utah State Board of Education clarified with FOX 13 that “no student can be excused from the state Standards of social studies which include a focus on U.S. history, inequality and race relations. “
Hirokawa sent another email to parents on Saturday afternoon apologizing for the option to cancel and terminated the offer. The email states that “at the moment no family is choosing to leave our planned activities and we have removed that option”.