Forest Hills School District

After a 2021 school board race that saw the election of four candidates who ran on an anti-critical race theory platform, voters in the Forest Hills School District decided to change course.

The district said it would not enforce its "Culture of Kindness" resolution until a decision is made by the court, but parents say the board hasn't stuck to its word.

Recently, the board has pushed to end things like Turpin High School's Diversity Day and ban assignments where students would have to consider their race, class, religion, gender identity, or sexuality.

Larry Hook said despite the overwhelming opposition to the move, most people in the Forest Hills community wanted to see it gone.

Some are concerned a pivotal levy for Forest Hills Local School District could have a tough time passing due to a controversial board resolution passed last year.

The superintendent is recommending the school system pursue a combined operating tax levy and a permanent improvement levy to be placed on the ballot in May of next year.

The board of the Forest Hills School District has agreed not to enforce its controversial "Culture of Kindness" resolution while a case against it plays out in federal court.

A group of parents and students have filed a lawsuit in federal court in the ongoing fight over what teachers in the Forest Hills School District are and aren't allowed to teach.

Claire Mengel addressed the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in Washington, D.C., Thursday, where a hearing addressed "the ongoing efforts to prohibit discussion in K-12 classrooms about American history, race, and LGBTQ+ issues, and to punish teachers who violate vague and discriminatory state laws by discussing these topics."

"We are here, all of us, to show them that we support diversity in our school district," student Johnny Wettengel said. "We are here to show them that we won't just sit down and let them cancel events that matter to us. We are here to show them that diversity isn't political, it's human."