Utah school allowing parents to opt students out of Black History Month curriculum

[riversedge]

Source: the hill




By Celine Castronuovo - 02/06/21 04:06 PM EST



A Utah charter school that incorporates Black History Month into its lesson plans is now facing backlash from some after the school announced it was allowing parents to opt students out of the curriculum.

Maria Montessori Academy Director Micah Hirokawa announced the decision in a Friday post on the school’s private Facebook page, according to local news outlet the Standard-Examiner.

Hirokawa wrote that he “reluctantly” sent a letter to families stating that administrators were allowing them “to exercise their civil rights to not participate in Black History Month at the school.”

Hirokawa said in the post that “a few families” had asked not to participate in the curriculum, though he declined to tell the Standard-Examiner the exact number of parents who had contacted the school or the reasons they gave for making the request. .............

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/537677-utah-school-allowing-parents-to-opt-students-out-of-black-history-month

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gawds. Almost impossible to believe!!

And no doubt this charter school receives tax MONEY!

Link to tweet

?s=20


This is just blatant racism. They only allow people to opt out of learning about prominent black historical figures and not white historical figures.

I went to school in NC, and we almost never learned anything about black historical figures during Black History Month anyways.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Nocturnowl]

1. Born and Raised in the Suburbs of Ogden

Sadly, this doesn't surprise me.

[niyad]

7. Welcome to our DU family.

[Nocturnowl]

13. Family?

You mean, like, the Democratic Underground family, r-right? Not the radical Mormon offshoot Warren Jeffs-type "family," Right?

[niyad]

15. But of course!

[Nocturnowl]

19. Okay, Thanks

For the record, I'm not a Mormon of any sort. Though born in Utah, I was raised Baptist, and am now thoroughly Agnostic, though I still use Christian phraseology sometimes.

[badboy67]

2. So, this is what passes for "Christianity" today?

[Lucky Luciano]

6. Probably Mormons, but yeah.

[denbot]

3. Yeah, the local cult isn't racist at all..

No sir, you can bet your magic underwear on that!

[FreepFryer]

4. Someone's gonna lose their public funding (Nt)

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Nothing like Head-in-Sand to embrace the modern world

[33taw]

8. Can you opt out of the white history?

[appalachiablue]

21. + 1

[marlakay]

27. Thats what I was thinking. Nt

[llashram]

9. ignorance and hate

knows no bounds in this country.

[Lonestarblue]

10. This is one of the reasons I do not support most charter schools.

Many parents d not want their children learning anything that contradicts their racism or their anti-science beliefs, and some charter schools completely accommodate those wishes, to the detriment of student knowledge and acceptance of all races and understanding of how science affects our lives.

Even a subject like literature can be racist and misogynist in a subtle way. For example, a successful chain of charter schools in the southwest, where there are many people with Hispanic ancestry, has a literature curriculum focusing on mostly dead the guys from with only a very few female or minority writers. What this says to students is that the important literature worth reading come from white men. Far too many public schools also focus way too much on the writings of white authors. If you look at a literature textbook today, most well over 1,000 pages, you might think that diversity is well covered and it is in the books. The problem is what teachers choose to teach from the book. No one can get through a thousand-page textbook in a school year, so teachers pick and choose what to teach. Many white teachers choose what is comfortable to them and that is often the writings of white authors, thus the diversity of the textbook is undermined by the prejudice in the classroom. Another issue with contemporary writing, by white and minority writers, is language. Parents and school boards insist that no textbook can have swear words or derogatory language, and that’s the other reason for the focus on the traditional writings, the dead white guys. No wonder many students hate literature. They learn very little to which they can relate.

[Geechie]

11. Fine. Then they can use this instead:

[link:http://

|]

[appalachiablue]

22. Thanks, well done

[Geechie]

24. A bigger trapper keeper!

Zzzing!

[efhmc]

25. I saw that.

[Solly Mack]

26. Excellent

[zanana1]

28. I just might start watching that show.

[oldsoftie]

12. How bout just teaching American history & finally including all the prominent blacks?

After all, their history IS American history too. Nobody opts out of THAT.
Teach it by the 5 yr periods. Include everyone who was a major player at that time. Asians were a vital part of US history too. There's a way to not leave anyone out who deserves to be remembered.

[turbinetree]

14. Wonder what their Exceptionalism pertains too when it comes to the natives when Chugg and Fremont

and Father Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, came to the area............

I wonder if they teach this memorable fact of outright racism........

No aboriginal title by the Northwestern Shoshone was ever recognized by the United States or extinguished by treaty with the United States

[BlueIdaho]

16. Since when did racism become a civil right?

This is nothing more cynical than shrouding hate in hopeful language.

[Nitram]

17. It sounds like they have completely missed the point of Black History Month.

What possible reason would any student have for being excused from such a vital part of the curriculum? Are racists triggered by discussion like this? Is Utah coddling racists in their schools system?

[Marthe48]

18. Shoving the kids' heads in the sand

Nothing real goes away.

I appreciate and respect the monumental effort made by Blacks, women and other minorities in general. Some are acknowledged for their accomplishments, discoveries and advances. Most are not.

[Jim_S]

20. This is why there should be NO public tax dollars for any charter school.

I understand that there are some good charter schools and their inception may be for all the correct reasons. But I say 'go fund yourself'! No tax dollars should be taken away from public schools to allow this type of action to ever exist.

[AwakeAtLast]

23. A Betsy DeVos wet dream

A Charter school that discriminates.

I would love to fix this under Biden!