Members of the Forest Hills Local Schools Board of Education were met with criticism from students and parents Monday night over their decision to again postpone Turpin High School's Diversity Day.
A crowd of protesters gathered outside the district's central office shortly before a 6:30 p.m. special board meeting to request the return of the voluntary event and express their frustration with the board's decisions.
Diversity Day was originally scheduled for early April but postponed on short notice to allow for further "parent review," district officials said. After some adjustments, administrators announced that the event would be rescheduled for May 18, but the school board voted to postpone it again in a vote on Sunday.
The purpose of Monday night's meeting was for the school board to enter an executive session to discuss personnel matters, according to a meeting notice. But that was quickly overshadowed by protesters who jeered the school board and sang "This Land Is Your Land" just before the meeting's start.
As the board left the meeting room for the executive session, some of those in the crowd called them "spineless," "cowards" and "ignorant."
Board member Leslie Rasmussen, who refused to vote on Sunday's motion, was absent from the meeting.
The motion passed by the board Sunday states Turpin's Diversity Day "shall not proceed during school hours" and "shall not be conducted or further organized during school hours or through the use of school or taxpayer resources." It is unclear if the event will be rescheduled for another time outside of the school day.
Protesters were calling on the school board to reinstate the event for May 18. Students have said they are planning a walkout for that day as well.
Racial Diversity Awareness Day at Turpin traditionally includes a series of activities, discussions, video clips and breakout sessions with guest speakers that focus on history, the criminal justice system and empathy, according to the event's permission slip.
Some concerns over Diversity Day have surrounded taxpayer dollars being used to support curriculums related to critical race theory, an issue four of the newly elected board members ran against last November.
Turpin, located in Anderson Township, serves more than 1,000 students in the Forest Hills Local School District. According to U.S. News & World Report, more than 90% of Turpin students are white.
Enquirer reporter Madeline Mitchell contributed.
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