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Parents in Utah can object to lessons on religious grounds or if they violate strongly-held convictions.
Utah made national headlines last weekend, after the Maria Montessori Academy in North Ogden said it would allow parents to opt their children out of Black History Month curriculum.
Administrators denied requests for interviews. But in a written statement, the school’s director said “a few families” had requested to opt out and, given their rights as parents, he “reluctantly” agreed to let them.
According to Jaime Tracy, whose daughter is in 4th grade and one of the few black students at the school, the new director shared her vision for expanding the school’s curriculum to incorporate stories from Black Americans and other underrepresented groups. It’s something she’s been pushing for a while, she said.