Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 10, 2025

BOISE, ID – Thousands of educators from across the country erupted into cheers last week when Idaho teachers walked into the National Education Association annual meeting wearing shirts that read “Everyone is Welcome Here.” 

The phrase from former West Ada teacher Sarah Inama’s now ubiquitous sign has become a symbol in the fight against public education, said Mike Journee, communications director with the Idaho Education Association. 

“It is at the foundation of public education,” Journee said of welcoming everyone. “They recognize in a lot of ways that it has become a symbol of all of the challenges that public education is facing.”

The Office of Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador wrote in an opinion made public last month, that the sign is part of a political movement and, under a new state law, could not be displayed in Idaho classrooms. 

The AG’s opinion went viral, sparking debate on social media and garnering national attention. While the AG gave his perspective, it’s the Idaho Department of Education that is tasked with enforcing the new law.

In Idaho, former attorney general Jim Jones called Labrador’s stance “a political statement masquerading as a legal opinion.” 

Boise School board member Krista Hasler wrote in an opinion to the Idaho Statesman that she is “incredibly disheartened and even outraged at the idea of telling our teachers that they cannot send the message that all of their students are welcome.”

On Thursday, Boise School District administrators told teachers they would support educators displaying “Everyone is Welcome Here” signs.

“While the guidance provided by the State Department of Education implies that the sign would not be allowed, we will continue to support our teachers who choose to display it in their classrooms,” Superintendent Lisa Roberts and School Board Chair Dave Wagers wrote.

Inama plans to teach in the Boise School District next year. In a memo sent to all staff Thursday morning, the administration was even more explicit.

“‘Everyone is Welcome Here’ is the law,” the memo reads. “It is not a political statement.”

Boise administrators went on to say that the sign “affirms a foundational principle of public education — that every student, regardless of their background, is legally entitled to dignity, respect, and a sense of belonging in their school community.” 

The law also does not allow the display of pride flags in schools, however, Boise administrators encouraged staff to find other ways to make their classroom space feel safe and welcoming for all students.

Administrators directed all teachers to pass along complaints or concerns about classroom signage to their supervisor, rather than engaging in debate.

“Creating an environment where students feel welcome and affirmed is not an ideology — it’s our legal duty,” the public leader reads. “We remain committed to upholding that duty.”

Labrador’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment and a list of questions from EdNews.

He did, however, double down on Facebook days after the opinion was made public writing, “Idaho welcomes every child and always should. But parents and the public know the difference between education and political indoctrination.”

He went on to argue that “All are Welcome” pushes a social agenda and is no different than hanging a “Make America Great Again” sign in a classroom.

IEA, the state’s teachers’ union, disagrees with Labrador’s interpretation, Journee said.

“It’s very important to understand that that post in particular is not illegal,”Journee told EdNews. “We have had one person’s expression of that, that it would be covered under that law. And we believe that to be not true.”

If a broad message of inclusion is covered under House Bill 41, Journee said, then any message a teacher puts on their walls could be considered out of bounds. 

“It is an example of how ridiculously unworkable that law is,” he said.

IEA is working on guidance to members ahead of next school year, Journee said.

Bill sponsor weighs in

Rep. Ted Hill, who sponsored HB 41, agreed with the attorney general’s interpretation that Inama’s sign violates the law, not because of the words the sign bears, but because the sign has become politicized, he told EdNews,.

“The intent was specifically to just get the political, ideological and religious distractions out of the classroom,” Hill said of the bill. “We wanted to get down just to the American flag and the state flag, that’s where our unity comes from. We’re not going to celebrate diversity, we’re going to celebrate unity.” 

When Hill initially saw Inama’s sign he didn’t think much of it but as the movement in support of Inama took off and the letters in the word “Everyone” became a rainbow in some versions of the design, he felt it was political.

“I didn’t even blink twice until I saw who produced it and who put it up,” Hill said. “It’s really on the boundary.”

Hill said Inama admitted to putting up the sign for political reasons, something Inama has denied.

“It’s all over the place. It’s not a political opinion, it’s a pretty common message,” Inama told EdNews last week.

Inama said she bought the sign at a Boise-area craft store.

Hill noted the Idaho Democratic Party sells the signs, something it did not start doing until after the initial West Ada controversy.

“It has been co-opted by a political and ideological group,” Hill said.“It’s not about shutting down diversity at all. What they say is this all-inclusive term is, there are 2-3% of the people that are gay, we’re just going to represent them, not anyone else.” 

Hill specifically took issue with rainbow versions of the poster and the multiracial hands along the bottom, both of which have become political, he said. Inama’s original sign had multi-colored letters in the word “Everyone” not a rainbow.

However, he said, a sign with just the words “Everyone is Welcome Here” in basic colors or even school colors, wouldn’t violate the law in his mind.

Hill said his goal was to keep students focused on learning with only unifying messages on classroom flags and banners. He noted students can still wear political statements to school and teachers can display political or religious text on classroom screens, something not regulated under the bill.

There are other instances of something that was once broadly accepted becoming politicized in a way that isn’t appropriate for school, Hill noted. He mentioned the Gadsden flag, which was a symbol of unity during the Revolutionary War, but has since been co-opted by a variety of extremist militia groups and is no longer appropriate to hang in a school, he said.

“If we allow a little bit, then we have to allow it all,” Hill said.