West Ada teacher stands firm after she’s told to remove ‘Everyone is welcome here’ signs

West Ada School District administrators have instructed a teacher that she must remove two signs from her classroom out of concern that they “inadvertently create division or controversy,” the district told the Idaho Statesman.

In doing so, district administrators appear to have inadvertently drummed up division and controversy of their own.

Sarah Inama, a 35-year-old world civilization teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Meridian, said the signs have been hanging in her class since she started working there four years ago.

One of them reads, “Everyone is welcome here,” above hands of different skin tones.

The other reads, “In this room, everyone is welcome, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued,” with each word highlighted in a different color.

Inama said she was told by administrators on Feb. 3 that her signs “don’t allow people to express differing opinions, that it is controversial in today’s political environment.” She initially removed them, but then had a change of heart.

In emails shared by the district with the Idaho Statesman, Marcus Myers, the district’s chief academic officer, told Inama to remove the signs because they violated Idaho’s Dignity and Nondiscrimination in Public Education Act, as well as school policy, which requires signs to be “content neutral and conducive to a positive learning environment.”

The district also mentioned to the Statesman that, if it is enacted into law this legislative term, House Bill 41 will force schools to comply with a measure that bans “flags or banners that present political, religious, or ideological views, including but not limited to political parties, race, gender, sexual orientation, or political ideologies.”

The bill has passed the Legislature and now awaits a signature from Gov. Brad Little, but it is not yet law and would not be during this school year if Little signs it.

The district did not explain how a sign reading “Everyone is welcome here” would be in violation of that law.

“I took them down, but I was very sad about it,” said Inama, who stressed that she was speaking to the Statesman as a private individual whose views don’t represent the district. “And the following few days, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I came back in on a Saturday with my husband and my baby, and I put it back up.”

She said she told Lewis and Clark Principal Monty Hyde that the signs were back up, and he scheduled a meeting between her and Myers.

Myers did not respond to the Statesman’s request for an interview.

Inama said administrators eventually told her that she must take down the signs before the end of the school year in May.

And if she doesn’t? Inama isn’t sure.

“Obviously, it would not be easy or ideal to lose my job,” Inama said. “I would miss my students immensely, and it would be a real financial hardship for me. But I just fundamentally feel ... so unsettled and disturbed by what they’re asking me to do. I just can’t be complacent in it.”

West Ada School District spokesperson Niki Scheppers told the Statesman that “concerns regarding compliance are handled internally through established personnel processes and human resources.”

Inama said she disagreed with the assessment that she is breaking policy or the law. She said that the messages on her signs are neutral and that different skin tones and a rainbow-like color palette are not, as stated in House Bill 41, inherently “political, religious, or ideological views.”

Inama told the Statesman that she was particularly confused because administrators had hung signs across the school with a similar message that read, “Welcome others and embrace diversity.”

When discussing the “Everyone is welcome here” sign, the district told the Statesman that it was not the message that was at issue, but rather the hands of different skin tones on the poster.

“While ‘Everyone is welcome here’ is a general statement of being welcoming, concerns arose around the specific visual presentation of the signs in question and whether they aligned with district policies on classroom displays,” Scheppers said in an email.

“The district’s intent is to ensure that all signage in classrooms remains within established guidelines while supporting an environment where all students feel valued and welcomed.”

The district emailed staff members Wednesday, reminding them of signage rules and comparing staff to a sports team. It was signed simply, “West Ada School District.”

“Every player knows that while they bring their own strengths and personality to the game, they must operate within the rules to maintain fairness and consistency,” the district said. “If one player decided to wear a different uniform, use a different-sized ball, or ignore the rules, the game would lose its structure, creating confusion and imbalance.”

Community rallies around teacher

Inama said she has been overwhelmed by the support she has received since KTVB first published an article about the signs Tuesday.

Parents, fellow teachers and former students have sent her positive messages, she said. Five people, including parents and strangers, sent her bouquets of flowers on Wednesday. She said students wore homemade bracelets and shirts containing words from her signs.

The Wassmuth Center for Human Rights in Boise posted a social media message of support from more than 70 local organizations and businesses.

“Let’s be clear — creating a welcoming environment isn’t a partisan statement; it’s a necessary condition for students to learn and grow,” the center said.

One community member launched a GoFundMe to create T-shirts with the same words and graphics as the sign featuring the hands. Another person had the same idea and is selling similar at-cost shirts. Inama said she was not acquainted with either creator.

Inama said the hardest part of the ordeal has been watching sixth-graders try to figure out what the big deal is with the signs.

“It’s really sad to see young students for the first time realizing that there are even racist sentiments out there,” Inama said. “It’s just really sad to see that some of them genuinely can’t fathom why a sign like that would be an issue.”