Ohio Parents Protest All-White Forest Hills School Board Cancels Diversity Day at Turpin High School

The Ohio school district’s decision to cancel Diversity Day celebrations — twice — has sparked a deep feud in the suburban community, prompting students and parents to question why a school board All-whites continued to impose a pause on the celebration.

Diversity Day has been an annual event in the Forest Hills School District — a Cincinnati suburb — since 2017, Fox19 Cincinnati reported. It was originally scheduled for March of the current school year, but was postponed to May 18 due to ticket issues and “parental review,” according to Fox19.

Then, at a meeting last Sunday, the school board selected to move the event back — but no new date.

“The staff was informed that it was cancelled, but did not say why. This needs an explanation,” community member Kenny Bierschenk wrote under an unrelated post on the Forest Hills School District Facebook page.

“How to tell people you are racist without saying it,” replied another community member.

During the crowded meeting on Sunday, school board members, with the exception of one who refused to participate in the vote, protested Turpin High School’s Diversity Day, expressing skepticism about the date of the hour. education and financed by taxes.

“I would like to see this offered to everyone on weekends or after school hours, not tax dollars,” said Sara Jonas, board member. “This day is for students to essentially examine their privilege and become aware of their own violations and implicit biases, while focusing on black and white race relations. ”

Jonas equates activities will be presented on Diversity Day for Racism Theory and discredit an exercise that forces students to “step to the front” if they can relate to racial-economic situations difference.

““ Has any woman or man in your family, including you, ever been physically or sexually assaulted in any way? “Jonas read from the assignment. “For me, I don’t understand this is the job of the students, staff, or leaders in this exercise. And it’s also important to note that one of the guest speakers in their mission statement was, ‘Unity and incite people for racial justice.’ How is this not spreading politics to the students? “

After the mostly white auditorium clapped, board member Linda Hausfeld read what she said was student testimony criticizing Diversity Day as an additional credit opportunity to “punish academically those whose parents disapprove.”

Board members who argued that the ticket issue cited as the reason for the cancellation did not initially provide an accurate description of the event.

“You all lied about your reasons for intervening on Diversity Day. You said it was because of the process… people didn’t have enough information about the ticket,” said Dr. Leslie Rasmussen, the only board member who disagreed with the cancellation of the celebration. She states that students do not need any special permission for other events, and that board members never have to approve other similar activities.

“There is no way I could touch Diversity Day,” she said.

Rasmussen cited testimony she said came from a Black student who said postponing the celebration made him feel unworthy to be part of the school district. She criticized the board members for their lack of professionalism in canceling the event too close to the date, and she questioned that inviting guides from Cincinnati’s Freedom Center to talk about How political was the nation’s history of slavery and abolition. She argued other board members’ views of the celebration were too political to be another form of teaching because they were fueling their distaste for diversity among students by not teaching them about it.

Board members ultimately voted to ban Diversity Day from being held during school hours and using public funds, according to Local12 Cincinnati. However, on Monday, WCPO9 Cincinnati reported dozens of students and parents had opposed the decision.

“It’s just a total disregard for our students’ effort and the passion that we have,” Turpin High School student Casey Lupariello told WCPO. “The day itself is focused solely on reflecting on what diversity looks like in our lives and what it looks like outside of the Turpin/Cincinnati High School bubble, giving students a way to understand more clarity on real-world diversity issues.”

Community members also took to social media to make the decision to drag Diversity Day.

“You should be ashamed. [Forest Hills] died in turning his school into a hostile environment for minority children. This wouldn’t make me feel welcome if I were a minority in FHSD,” a Twitter users Written.

“If the Forest Hills School Board in Anderson Township thought they could cancel Diversity Day at Turpin High School without any backlash, they were sorely mistaken!” other users tweeted.

“[Forest Hills School District] The school board has shamed every student in the district,” another community member wrote on Twitter. “Banning diversity is pathetic. It is hoped that the students at Turpin High will oppose this decision and the four school board members. They should all resign.”

The Forest Hills School District has not yet commented publicly on the protests against the board vote. However, in a statement to The Daily Beast, the district said it stands by the board’s decision that “Racial Diversity Day at Turpin High School will not occur during school hours and will not be conducted or extra organization during school hours or through the use of school or taxpayer resources. ”