>

That's another standard excuse, but it's usually about hypothetical parents. Sure, some sometimes complain, but either schools are way more gun-shy about this than the numbers bear out or it's just a way to shift the blame for a decision that they were going to make anyway.
Most parents I know would like their kids to have these conversations at school. Ideally, also at home, but a lot of parents would be happy the school is doing it for them. It was part of of curriculum from kindergarten when I was in school.
Realistically, you read s book about the stupidity of treating people differentlywho look different
The excuse send to be "we weren't ready to have this discussion with the kids". Bullshit. When you have (or teach) kids, you often have to meet them where they are. If they're encountering topics of racism, you talk about it. And nine is plenty fucking old, so there's no copping out there, either. >

This might be my personal biases talking, but I think it's more likely that they were worried about the parent's reaction.
"this was not the conversation we had prepared Mrs. Robek, the students or parents would take place."
I think kids of that age should learn that racism is stupid, arbitrary and socially constructed. Not sure that everyone agrees with that.