Miami Elementary School Faces Backlash Over Permission Slip for Book Listening Event Featuring Black Author
A Miami elementary school has come under fire after a parent expressed outrage over a permission slip sent by the school seeking his sign-off on a book listening event featuring a Black author. Chuck Walters, a parent at the Coral Way K-8 Bilingual Center, took to social media to express his concerns about the permission slip, which stated that students would be participating in an activity where they would listen to a book written by an African American.
Walters questioned why he had to give permission for his child to participate in an event centered around a Black author. He tagged the superintendent of Miami-Dade Schools and included the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth in his post. This incident has sparked a larger conversation about the role of parental permission in educational activities related to Black History Month.
The Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which oversees Coral Way K-8, responded to the controversy by acknowledging that the description of the event may have caused confusion and emphasizing the importance of clarity for parents. They stated that permission slips were sent home in compliance with state law, as guest speakers would be participating in a school-authorized education-related activity.
However, the question remains as to whether this activity was specifically tied to Black History Month. It has been confirmed that the event was indeed part of the school’s celebration of Black History Month. Concerns over the permission slips related to Black History Month lessons have been raised by other parents and educators as well.
Interestingly, a school board member expressed confusion as to why permission slips were required for Black History Month lessons in the first place. He was informed that this was a law passed by Florida legislators and Governor Ron DeSantis in November. According to this law, any activities outside of the immediate curriculum require parental permission.
The controversy surrounding these permission slips has led to speculation that Governor DeSantis’ opposition to critical race theory (CRT) in public schools may have influenced the need for parental permission. CRT is a theoretical framework that examines the intersection of race and power in society, and its inclusion in school curricula has been a topic of debate in recent years.
Chuck Walters, the parent who initially expressed his outrage, has confirmed that he signed the permission slip for his daughter and submitted it to the school. It remains to be seen how this incident will impact future discussions around parental consent for educational activities related to Black History Month and other sensitive topics.
