The Chalk is Gone! What’s Next for West Ada?

The controversy involving t-shirts, school posters, and now chalk continues to captivate the attention of Boise Area residents. Over the weekend, residents created chalk drawings on sidewalks and parking lots at various schools throughout the West Ada School District.

The movement stems from a teacher's decision not to remove a poster from her classroom after she was told it violated district, state, or national policy. The teacher and her supporters say the poster promotes inclusivity and is needed in the classroom.

Fueled by local media reports, a local t-shirt shop has printed thousands, perhaps over twenty thousand, of t-shirts with the words 'everyone is welcome' and a photo of the disputed poster.

The Idaho Education Association took to social media along with teachers in Boise to share their opinions.

The West Ada School District instructed the custodial staff to scrub and wash away the chalk messages Monday morning. The move was covered by the local media, which continues to advance the story.

The issue is whether a message is more potent than a district policy. We checked the district's Facebook page, but all we could find was a podcast link. Local media outlets have been clamoring for the district to share their story. Sadly, this is a lesson in the wrong way to handle crisis management.

We'll continue to update you on this story as it develops.