Utah School Reverses Opt Out of Black History Month

If you are a teacher and have been receiving letters from students at your school that say they are being taught lessons about black history month, you should consider making a few changes to your curriculum. In particular, you should consider sending an opt-out form to parents.

Maria Montessori Academy in North Ogden

Maria Montessori Academy, a charter school in North Ogden, Utah, recently gave parents the option of opting out of Black History Month.

In an effort to address concerns raised by parents, the school announced that it would make Black History Month an optional activity.

But the decision to allow parents to opt out of this month’s curriculum has sparked a huge controversy. Some people are upset that children are being denied the opportunity to learn about Black history, which is important for all Americans. Others are concerned that the school may be fostering bigotry in its students.

After the academy’s director, Micah Hirokawa, posted a controversial Facebook statement about the school’s decision to opt out of Black History Month, many people were quick to voice their opinions.

Betty Sawyer, the president of the Ogden branch of the NAACP, called the school and told it that

she is very disappointed in the choice. She urged the school to reverse its decision.

According to the Utah State Board of Education, only three students at the academy are black. The rest of the 322 students are white.

Several people have criticized the decision, including Rep. Blake Moore, who represents the city of North Ogden in Utah’s First Congressional District.

He said he was disappointed that the school decided to allow families to opt out of Black History Month.

Hirokawa’s reluctance to send opt-out forms to parents

When the Maria Montessori Academy in North Ogden decided to offer an opt-out option for Black History Month lessons, some parents were a bit mystified.

According to the Utah State Board of Education, 322 students were enrolled in the school. However, it’s not clear how many of those students are black.

The academy’s director, Micah Hirokawa, claimed the choice was prompted by a number of parents’ requests. He declined to elaborate, saying only that it was a “tough choice.”

A local paper report sparked a bit of outrage, but it appears the academy has settled the matter in an agreeable fashion.

The academy, a tuition-free public elementary school, has not been shy about its advocacy efforts. In fact, it has even gone so far as to release an opt-out form on its website.

After a bit of backlash, however, it has taken the decision to nix the opt-out option completely.

The academy’s Facebook page has been wiped clean of any posts related to Black History Month. Instead, it has only the one-word headline: “Tuition-free public elementary school no longer offering Black History Month opt-out form.”

It’s unclear why the academy chose to nix the opt-out option, but Hirokawa was hardly the only one who was a bit miffed.

A few parents questioned why such a flimsy choice was even allowed, but the Academy’s administrators refused to answer such questions.

Hirokawa’s decision to renege on decision to allow parents to opt out of lessons related to Black History Month

This month a Utah school reversed their decision to allow parents to opt out of Black History Month lessons. The academy decided to do so after a public backlash. However, no students have opted out yet.

Hirokawa Elementary School, a tuition-free, public institution in North Ogden, Utah, walked back their decision, following a series of questions on its Facebook page and a subsequent meeting with the local NAACP chapter head.

Also, See:

• Who is Leyman Lahcine? Know
• What Happened b/w Sara MacDonald & Liam Gallagher
• Gina Colangelo Age, Wiki, Husband & Affair

The academy uses the Montessori educational philosophy and had been a proponent of the Black History Month curriculum.

The school’s director, Micah Hirokawa, said the opt-out was not the right choice. He said the school would be implementing the same Black History Month curriculum in February as they do in other months, though.

Although the school said they have not yet been asked by many parents to offer a similar program, they have been working with families that want to participate in the Black History Month curriculum, but not the curriculum itself.

Hirokawa also snuck in a tidbit: he is a great-grandson of people who were forced into internment camps during World War II.

According to the school’s Facebook page, he believes teaching children about history, even difficult histories, is important, citing his own family’s immigrant background.

The school also said the decision to allow families to opt out of Black History Month was not the simplest.

They would be discussing it one-on-one and did not anticipate changing the curriculum or offering an alternative.