The Cache County Board of Education’s regular meeting Thursday was met with a large crowd of concerned residents and parents looking to provide public feedback on the recent Sky View controversy.
The controversy involved a Nov. 23 diversity assembly at the Smithfield high school, during which a country music video was shown including stock footage from the Civil Rights Era and depictions of more recent police brutality and profiling of Black Americans. Several residents said they felt the song’s message was an attack on white people and law enforcement. Other residents defended the assembly, saying it was a necessary response to recent racially insensitive incidents students observed at the school and shared on social media.
Superintendent Steve Norton began the meeting with a district-issued statement detailing the events leading up to the assembly.
A student at Sky View High School showed up on Halloween in a KKK costume. That same day another student came on stage dressed in a basketball uniform with a bald cap and his face painted brown. The district assured attendees that both students were referred to the office to discuss why those costumes were offensive.
“These two incidents are indicative of the mistakes sometimes made by students as they move toward adulthood. They provide opportunities for educators to teach and assist students,” stated Norton.
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