Forest Hills paints over diversity mural at middle school

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) - A local school district has painted over a mural made by students that celebrated diversity and inclusion. Now, it is dealing with backlash after the move came without student or parent input.

For the past five years, students at Nagel Middle School in Anderson Township have walked past a student-painted mural. It celebrated diversity, showing different races expressing fists of solidarity, as well as symbols of love, religions, sexual identities, autism and suicide prevention. When students walked into school Friday morning, they saw only a blue wall.

"My 8th grader was extremely distraught when she found out it was painted over,” said Nagel parent Jessica Cunningham. “All of their friends are extremely upset."

Local 12 met several Nagel mothers who said the presence of the mural was exceptionally important to their children. Especially, Jill Burket Ragase's child.

"One of my children is gay and they have expressed continued hurt at the actions of this board,” said Ragase. “They feel targeted and unwelcome, and they feel like there is the potential to make school a place that's not safe for them."

But in a 2021 school board campaign which put critical race theory in the crosshairs, school board members spoke out against the mural, like Bob Bibb, who said, "Basically, you're segregating everybody based on their sexual identities. And segregation is wrong."

The school earlier this year covered the mural with a banner that said “Growth,” as part of its new culture statement. Someone earlier this week ripped down the banner, re-exposing the diversity mural. The school district responded by painting over it.

While the school district did not agree to an interview, it referred Local 12 to an email sent to parents this summer, when that banner covered the mural, saying, "This is part of an effort to unify Forest Hills School District with common messaging, which focuses on high performance and leadership."

Local 12 posed to the mothers, "This community elected this school board to some extent on the removal of this mural. Shouldn't the community's voice be heard?"

"There's nothing in the guidelines of what a school board member does, that talks about getting into the weeds of removing student art,” said Natalie Hastings. “If they felt it was so important that they remove this, then let's have it at a board meeting."

Sara Sudkamp said her son is devastated.

"The look of shock and hurt on his face is something I will never forget,” she said.

Local 12 were unable to reach parents who were in favor of covering up the mural. None of the school board members who opposed the mural replied to our requests for an interview.