On Wednesday, the district sent a two-page letter to its staff regarding their order requesting a teacher to remove the “Everyone is Welcome Here” poster.
BOISE, Idaho — A sixth-grade teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School in the West Ada School District has been ordered to remove classroom posters promoting inclusion, sparking community outrage and raising questions about the district’s policies on classroom displays.
Sarah Inama was instructed by her principal and district personnel to take down two posters — one listing classroom values and another stating “Everyone is welcome here” featuring hands of various skin tones — because they allegedly violated district policy against displaying personal opinions.
“I was told that ‘everyone is welcome here’ is not something that everybody believes. So that’s what makes it a personal opinion,” Inama said, attributing these statements to building administration and district personnel.
After initially complying, Inama later reinstalled the “Everyone is welcome here” poster, believing it represents not a personal opinion but a fundamental principle of public education. The district has given her until the end of the school year to remove it.
On Wednesday, the district issued a two-page memo to staff titled “Ensuring a Consistent and Supportive Learning Environment.”
Read the full memo here on your phone.
The document used a sports analogy to explain its position, comparing the district to “a well-coached sports team” where success comes from “following a structured game plan.”
“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,” the memo stated.
The district’s Chief Academic Officer Marcus Myers, who reportedly instructed Inama to remove her posters, was likened to a referee who “enforce[s] the rules impartially to ensure a fair and level playing field.”
Critics note apparent contradictions in the district’s approach. The memo asserts, “At West Ada, we proudly welcome all students into our buildings and classrooms—not through posters, but through the genuine connections we foster every day.” However, other posters promoting diversity remain displayed throughout the school.
The controversy comes as West Ada already faces a lawsuit from the Hodge family, whose children allegedly experienced repeated racist incidents that were reported but “virtually ignored” by administrators, according to the family.
In response to news coverage of Inama’s situation, local resident Chris Stewart partnered with Brigade Screen Printing and Embroidery to create t-shirts reproducing the poster’s message and design.
“Saying everyone is welcome shouldn’t be divisive and I don’t look at that as a political thing either,” Stewart said. “I think if there’s one thing we can all agree on in today’s world is that everybody should feel safe… there’s nothing offensive about that at all.”
As of Wednesday night, Brigade reports approximately 800 orders for the shirts, which they are selling at cost. If you are interested in purchasing a shirt, visit their website here.
Despite numerous inquiries from KTVB, West Ada School District officials and board trustees have not provided further comment on the situation beyond reiterating their policy.