Nampa school trustees want ‘content neutral’ classrooms, could ban certain displays
Teachers in the Nampa School District could soon be barred from displaying certain items in their classrooms as the district attempts to create a “content neutral” environment.
The district’s school board late Monday afternoon discussed a draft policy that would govern what teachers can display in their classrooms. This was the first time the board considered the policy, and an updated draft is expected to be brought back to the board at a future meeting.
The draft policy — modeled after a similar policy the West Ada school board approved in August — provides examples of items teachers can display in their classrooms, including the Idaho state flag, flags or banners used as part of a unit in a curriculum, displays relating to a district or school achievement and school or district sports flags or banners. The policy notes it doesn’t limit teachers’ displays to what is on that list.
“It is the desire of the district that the physical environment of district facilities be content neutral, conducive to a positive learning environment and not a distraction to the educational environment,” the policy reads.
School property shouldn’t be used for the “advancement of individual beliefs,” and displays in teachers’ classrooms should be limited to “materials that are related and relevant to the approved curriculum for the classroom,” the policy said.
The draft directs anyone with questions about displays to go to their building principals.
Teachers raise concerns about policy
Interim superintendent Gregg Russell said the district formed focus groups and spoke with teachers and students about the policy.
Many teachers the district spoke with were concerned about the policy, he said. They said it could create a “sterile environment” and questioned whether the new policy would lead to more “intrusion” in the classroom — potentially resulting in teachers leaving the district. Parts of the policy were vague, Russell said.
Some teachers, though, said the policy could be helpful guidance.
Students the district spoke to asked why the policy was needed and what would be considered controversial. They added that they are exposed to a lot of controversial subjects on social media and said schools should prepare them to work with diverse viewpoints.
Russell also said teachers worried the policy could harm vulnerable groups of students. West Ada’s policy created some confusion among educators over whether it allowed display of the LGBTQ pride flag. Teachers said the flag helped to create spaces where students felt welcome.
The district shouldn’t ‘impose moral values,’ trustee says
Trustees expressed support for the policy and said it would take divisiveness out of the classroom.
“I believe in our city of Nampa, which I believe is a conservative city, we need to stick to learning … learning different subjects without having to worry about what’s going on in the world,” Trustee Marco Valle said. “The district is not there to impose moral values on your kids. … We are there to teach.”
Valle said it is parents’ responsibility to teach their kids other issues that matter to their families.
The policy also allows for teachers to display items for certain periods of time if they relate to what students are studying, board chair Jeff Kirkman said.
During Pride month, he said, the policy could allow teachers to display a pride flag and discuss its significance. If a social studies class is learning about the protests that broke out across the country in 2020 after a police officer murdered George Floyd, the policy could allow for that teacher to temporarily display a Black Lives Matter flag as part of a lesson.
“I’m hoping that that’s where this policy will kind of go toward, is allowing those types of things to be used during that temporary instruction period,” Kirkman said.
Trustee Mandy Simpson said board members needed to consider the unintended consequences of a policy like this, and whether it could result in excluding some students.
“This feels more like saying, ‘Here’s what we think the morals are,’ ” she said.
But Valle argued that teachers shouldn’t bring their personal viewpoints into the classroom.
“I’m a strong believer in God, but I know in schools we don’t talk about God,” he said. “That’s the law.”
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 10:18 AM.
