[House] Iconography question

[Boucher, Thor]

Good morning,

Yes, we have an altar for dia de los muertos, which is a cultural and
teachable opportunity for students to express their culture and heritage.
This is school-wide and a part of our Latino/a Heritage celebration.

Kelly's costume yesterday was worn on costume/fantasy day, which is
imitating cultural traditions and could be interpreted as mockery.

If Kelly was wearing her costume as an expression of her faith, I am sure
we can hold space for her to share that with her class/school. If it was
worn as a costume that imitated someone else's beliefs, that would be
considered cultural appropriation.

Best,


*~Dr. Thor*


*THORBOUCHER, Ph.D. *

Principal,
Monroe Elementary School

San Francisco Unified School District

260 Madrid Street

San Francisco, CA 94112

O: 415.469.4736

E: bouchert at sfusd.edu


<bouchert at sfusd.edu>

*"People who are closest to the pain should be closest to the power." ~
Ayanna Pressley*


On Tue, Nov 1, 2022 at 8:52 AM RJ Johnson <rmjwell at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi, Dr. Thor.
>
> It was relayed to me that Kelly's Halloween costume had to be amended to
> remove the wings and halo for concerns connected to religious
> representations on school property.
>
> This morning, Frances was telling me that an altar was being put together
> (I was unclear on if it was in her class or for the school as a whole) and
> she was invited/asked to bring in a photo of a deceased relative/loved one
> to display on it.
>
> Could I ask you to clarify Monroe's philosophy regarding these two
> situations?
>
> Sincerely,
>
> RJ Johnson
>
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