An Indiana elementary school offered parents the option to opt their children out of a Black History Month lesson
- An Indiana elementary school gave parents the choice to opt their kids out of a Black History Month lesson.
- The district responded this week, saying students are not allowed to opt-out of history lessons.
An Indiana public school has come under scrutiny for offering parents the opportunity to opt their children out of a Black History Month lesson.
In a letter sent to parents earlier this month, a counselor at Sprunica Elementary School in Ninevah, Indiana, announced that he would be visiting classrooms teaching lessons related to "equity, caring, and understanding differences," in honor of both Valentine's Day and Black History Month.
"Studies show that students who have a greater understanding of diversity in the classroom and outside world will demonstrate improved learning outcomes such as improved grades, better peer relationships, and greater career success later on," said the letter, which was signed by a school counselor.
But at the bottom of the form, parents were given the option to check a box denying their child permission to receive the lesson.
Sprunica Elementary's approximately 240 students are 97% white, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
A photo of the letter circulated on Twitter earlier this week, sparking local and national news coverage and prompting a district response.
Brown County Schools Superintendent Emily Tracey acknowledged the form on Wednesday, sending a letter to families and staff members announcing that the district was "gathering more information on the matter," according to WTHR.
"Our district supports teaching about the facts in our history including historical injustices," Tracy said. "We are and will continue to be committed to having compassion for all and supporting an education community that will allow all students, staff, families, and community members the opportunity to feel welcome."
A spokesperson for Brown County Schools told Insider that the district released a second statement on Thursday, calling the original letter "unauthorized" and saying the form "erroneously" advised students and parents that they could "opt-out" of the Black History Month instruction.
"To be clear, our District does not permit students to opt-out of history lessons — including ones based on historical injustices," the statement said. "We apologize for the confusion caused by the letter and offer our assurances that Brown County Schools is committed to providing an inclusive educational environment for all students and families."
The incident comes as educators walk a tense tightrope as Republicans across the country move to legislate instruction in the classroom as a response to GOP opposition to critical race theory.
Last year, multiple teachers told Insider's Ashley Collman that they feared conservatives' "overblown" backlash to critical race theory would have a "chilling" effect on education.
One Iowa teacher said she left her job as a middle school teacher in 2020 following what she called a "right-wing effort" to strip her of her teaching license over a "standard" media-literacy lesson. A Wisconsin teacher told Collman she had heard of fellow teachers changing their lesson plans in an effort to avoid potential backlash.
New laws or initiatives in 13 states have already limited how race can be discussed in public schools, according to The Washington Post, and several other similar bills have been proposed across the country, including in Indiana.
In January, the Republican-controlled Indiana state House passed a bill that would limit race, history, and politics lessons in Indiana classrooms, according to the Indianapolis Star. Earlier this week, however, Senate Republicans in the state proposed changes that would soften the legislation.
This new bill comes one month after a similar piece of legislation stalled in the state Senate after its sponsor, GOP state Sen. Scott Baldwin, said lessons about Nazism should be impartial. He later walked the comments back.