It is Black History Month, and schools across the country are marking it. But parents at one school in Utah decided to opt out. Utah law does allow that, and the school said OK. But after a backlash, the school is reexamining its policies. Jon Reed from member station KUER reports This would've been the first year Black History Month was taught at the Maria Montessori Academy in North Ogden. It's about an hour north of Salt Lake, and census data says it's 94% whiI was happy because I was like, cool. Like, they're doing it, you know?

They're doing Black History Mont

Jaime Tracy’s daughter, a fourth-grader, is one of the school's only Black students. She's been pushing the school to have more lessons exploring Black history. But the email she got announcing the new lessons also said parents who didn't want to participate could opt out.

And then I was like, why would they send this out? And I'm like, OK, it's probably just the law or something. I don't know.

 For, you know, the last 400 years, we've been having this push to have a more inclusive and factual history be told. And while those of us that are pushing, there are other people pulling the other

 Utah law gives parents a lot of control over what their kids learn, says Jeff Van Hulten with the state board of education. He says parents can opt out of curricula based on religious beliefs or strongly held convictions.