District 49 says teacher violated policy by showing Black Lives Matter image
FALCON, Colo. (KRDO) -- Families in Falcon School District 49 raised concerns over the context of a lesson plan about Martin Luther King, Jr. after a teacher used an image showing Black Lives Matter.
District 49 officials said during the lesson about civil rights, the teacher used an image of a banner that read "Black Lives Matter."
Though civil rights movements are a part of the district's curriculum, district officials said the Black Lives Matter movement is not.
When a teacher at Bennett Ranch Elementary School included the image of the Black Lives Matter movement without seeking approval from the principal first, officials said she violated the district's "Teaching about Controversial Issues and Use of Controversial Materials" policy.
That policy requires teachers to obtain approval from the principal prior to the use of any controversial materials, according to the district.
But what classifies material as being controversial?
According to the Colorado Department of Education, that’s up to each individual district.
Though the state creates content standards, or what kids should know at certain grades, it’s up to each district to create a curriculum to meet those standards.
Officials with the Colorado Department of Education said their content standards were updated last in 2020, and as of now, the Black Lives Matter movement is not a part of those standards.
However, the state has no policy against districts including the Black Lives Matter movement in their curriculum.
According to District 49, the Black Lives Matter movement is considered controversial material in their classroom, which its policy classifies as “materials that are likely to divide the community along racial, ethnic, or religious lines."
Officials did could not confirm if disciplinary action was taken against the teacher at Bennett Ranch Elementary, but they did send out a letter to parents.
Greetings Bennett Ranch Families -
We hope you are doing well and staying healthy. We want to directly address some concern brought to our attention this week. On Tuesday, January 19, 2021, and Wednesday, January 20, 2021, students in the Art explore engaged in a lesson centered around the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. While the content of this lesson meets state academic standards related to culture, some additional material was presented without following district policy for notifying parents about potentially controversial topics.
The classroom presentation included some depictions with direct connection to recent events in our country, including Black Lives Matter. We recognize some will find these topics controversial, and based on district policy, all of our families have the option to determine their student’s participation through advanced notice. The policy was not followed in this case. We assure you that we immediately addressed this oversight, and our art classes have moved on to a different unit at this time.
In the future, if there are any lessons or units with potentially controversial material, you will absolutely be notified first and have the opportunity to opt out your students. We apologize this did not happen in this case, but can assure you that this policy is followed moving forward. We would be happy to take any questions or address additional concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us at the email addresses below or call our office at (719) 495-5460 to set up an appointment to meet with us.
Sincerely,
Martina Meadows Kris Levi
BRES Principal BRES Dean of Students
District 49 isn’t the only district in our region with policies surrounding controversial topics.
Academy District 20 has one as well, but there’s does not require teachers to seek principal or parent approval. It instead asks teachers to use their best discretion before teaching any topic that may cause controversy in the classroom.
