An Idaho teacher is in a standoff with her own school district after officials ordered her to remove classroom signs, including one that reads, “Everyone is welcome here.”
Sarah Inama, a sixth-grade history teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Meridian, Idaho, says she won't comply with the order, arguing that the message is a fundamental part to ensuring a positive learning environment for her students.
Inama, who has taught at the school for five years, says her commitment to inclusivity isn't about politics. It's about her passion for education and students.
“I love the area that I teach,” she says in an interview with TODAY.com. “It’s really a valuable thing for people to know our human history, things that humans have accomplished, our time on this earth, things that they’ve overcome, patterns that exist.”
Five years ago, when she first put up the two signs, it was to make sure students knew they were in an open and welcoming space. Now, she says she is risking her job in the name of those values.
A notice from her school district to remove signs of inclusivity
Inama says the controversy began in January when her principal and vice principal came to her classroom to inform her that two posters on her walls were controversial and needed to be removed, a detail the district verified in an email to TODAY.com. Inama says other teachers were given similar instruction, but she was caught off guard by the directive.
Photos of the two posters show that one features the phrase “Everyone is welcome here,” with an illustration of hands in different skin tones. The other says that everyone in the classroom is "welcome, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued" and "equal."
“I was just so confused,” she recalls. “I still can’t even wrap my head around what they’re referring to as far as why it’s controversial.”
Inama says the principal cited district policy that classrooms must respect the rights of people to express differing opinions and that decorations are to be “content-neutral.”
“There are only two opinions on this sign: Everyone is welcome here or not everyone is welcome here," she says. "Since the sign is emphasizing that everyone, in regards to race or skin tone, is welcome here no matter what, immediately, I was like, the only other view of this is racist. And I said, ‘That sounds like racism to me.’”
A change of heart
Feeling pressured, Inama removed the signs, but reconsidered as the decision weighed on her into the following weekend.
“I told my husband, ‘I have to put that sign back up,’" she recalls.
That Saturday, she says her husband accompanied her back to the school where she re-hung the signs and emailed her principal to let him know.
"I just was not interested in taking it down," she says. "I didn’t agree with why they were asking me to take it down. And for that reason, it was back up.”
According to Inama, the principal warned her that her refusal constituted insubordination and could result in further action.
TODAY.com has reached out to the principal for comment on Inama's allegations but did not receive a response.
District officials ask for a compromise
A meeting was soon arranged with district personnel, including West Ada School District’s chief academic officer Marcus Myers and a West Ada Education Association representative.
In its email to TODAY.com, West Ada School District states that the meeting was arranged to "provide further clarification and support" to Inama and to "discuss concerns about the poster and how it violates Policy 401.20." The policy says that banners in the classroom must be "content-neutral and conducive to a positive learning enviornment."
TODAY.com reached out to Myers for comment regarding the district’s decision and his role in the discussion with Inama but has not yet received a response.
Inama says the officials offered to purchase any alternative signs for her classroom during the meeting, just as long as they didn't have the same messages as her current posters. Challenging the request, Inama pointed out that district policy classifies motivational posters as learning aids, which she argued should be allowed under the current rules.
Inama says the conversation escalated when Myers attempted to justify the request to remove her posters saying that "the political environment ebbs and flows, and what might be controversial now might not have been controversial three, six, nine months ago, and we have to follow that.”
The more the discussion continued, Inama says she became increasingly convinced that what the district was asking her to do was wrong.
“The more that we talked about it, the more it just solidified,” she says. “It seems so gross what they’re asking me to compromise about. I mean, there’s no way you’ll convince me that the differing view they’re trying to protect of that sign is not racist.”
She says the meeting ended without resolution and another warning, this time that further action might be necessary if she did not comply.
Legal counsel becomes involved
After their meeting, Inama says the district offered to have legal counsel review her position, but that she would have to submit an email explaining why she believed the poster did not violate policy.
"I typed a big, long email and sent it off to them about why it was important for me to keep this poster up and why I don't find it to be in violation," Inama explains.
A week later, the district responded, maintaining that the signs violated policy. Inama says she was told she has until the end of the school year to remove them.
In a statement issued to TODAY.com via email, Niki Scheppers, chief of staff for communications at West Ada School District, explains the district’s decision to enforce its policy.
“West Ada School District has been and always will be committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive learning environment for all students while upholding district policies,” the statement reads.
“Classrooms are places where students learn to read, write, think critically and build the skills needed for future success. While classroom decorations can contribute to the atmosphere, a truly welcoming and supportive environment is built through meaningful relationships and positive interactions between staff and students, not posters on the walls. Our focus is on fostering kindness, respect and academic achievement so that every student can thrive in a distraction-free learning environment.”
According to the statement, approved classroom displays include the Idaho state flag, instructional materials like the periodic table or U.S. Constitution, student artwork, approved club information and school-sponsored achievements. Other permitted items include temporary displays of world flags for educational purposes, personal family photos of employees and promotional materials from colleges or professional sports teams.
“This policy is designed to maintain consistency across all classrooms while ensuring that no one group is targeted or offended by the display of certain items.”
The district underlined that its policies are not intended to limit free speech but to ensure fairness in classroom materials.
“While we respect individuals’ rights to express their perspectives, it is important to reaffirm that this situation is not about limiting speech or expression but about ensuring consistency in our classrooms and maintaining a learning environment free from distraction,” the statement said.
The district confirmed that legal counsel determined Inama’s poster must be removed and that she has until the end of the school year to find an alternative that complies with policy.
Fighting for her students, no matter the cost
Despite the district’s ruling, Inama refuses to remove the signs, even if it means risking her job.
“I would feel so sad to like leave my students before the end of the year, and financially, it would be difficult, but I just feel like your job, like your specific workplace, is not like your whole identity," she explains. "There's no way I would be able to allow myself to just take it down and roll over to what I feel like they're asking me to do."
Inama says what helps her now is knowing that she is not alone in her resistance. She says hundreds of people — including teachers across the district — have reached out to extend their support since her story became public.
“I'd say at least half of them are from other teachers in this district and in some of the other districts in Idaho and in other states,” she says.
Above all, Inama says she will prioritize the students seated in her classroom and stand by what she believes to be right.
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