It started with a sign in front of Centennial Elementary School in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood: “Families of Color Playground Night Wed 12/8 4:10 pm.”

The outrage that followed has made the principal “afraid to answer her phone,” said Will Jones, a spokesman for the Denver Public Schools.

Jones said his email is flooded with angry messages from all over the country, including one accusing the school district of the worst form of racism. One group from Douglas County threatened to gather at the school.

The national firestorm over Families of Color Playground Night hit Twitter and political websites this week as influencers weighed in on what some are calling state-sanctioned racial discrimination.

“Denver Public Schools now promoting racially segregated playtime — for ‘equity,’ ” tweeted Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist.

Rufo’s tweet has gotten over 12,000 likes and 4,000 retweets.

Families of Color Playground Night is held on the second Wednesday of each month, according to Centennial Elementary’s calendar. But the event scheduled for Dec. 8 was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns. Although the event is meant for families of color, the school district said anyone can attend.

Faisal Salahuddin, a Pakistani American who lives across the street from Centennial Elementary, knows about the event firsthand because he has taken his kindergartner there. He said the mother of his daughter is white and they’ve joked about whether she could come.

“Everyone’s invited,” said Salahuddin, who is a civil rights attorney.

He added: “The message could have been better. But the intent was to encourage more families of color to be present and involved. When we are looking at a neighborhood as gentrified as ours, we should extend the school some grace.”

Not everyone in the Berkeley neighborhood is feeling graceful. Neighbors like Bud King, who saw the sign, shake their heads.

“I am an American and I can see both sides, but they’ve got to be more careful,” said King, who was walking his dog in the park across from Centennial Elementary. “It’s not fair to the other kids. What if the sign said, ‘White kids only’?”

Matt Bennett, who was also walking his dog, said the neighborhood is undergoing gentrification, and he is sensitive to the issue of marginalized communities.

“There’s not much diversity around here anymore. Gentrification is happening at alarming levels. I will support the school if they’re trying to bring in diversity.”

According to the school district’s website, 239 of Centennial Elementary’s 424 students are white, 156 are Hispanic, 22 are of multiple race, four are Asian/pacific Islander and three are African American.

On Thursday, classes at Centennial Elementary were canceled because of a power outage from Wednesday’s windstorm. The playground was quiet and there were no parents running in and out of the building to collect their kids.

But the sign that caused a national outrage has been changed. Today, it announces the annual school winter fair.

A tiny library in the shape of a rocket ship sits at the front door and the front entrance bricks are hand-scribbled with multicolored chalk. Red, white and blue plastic woven into the playground fence says, “WE ARE CREW.”

In a statement, district officials said: “The school leaders at Centennial received a specific request from families to create a space of belonging. Centennial was responsive to their request. We support efforts like this as they provide connections, support and inspiration for families which share similar experiences and come from similar backgrounds. Efforts like these are about uniting us, not dividing us.”

Centennial Elementary also distributed a statement explaining the situation: “Our school leaders met with some of the Black and Hispanic/ Latinx families whose children attend our school to determine ways for these families to feel more included in our school community.

“Some of these families shared with us that, since the only time many of them see one another is at drop-off and pick-up times, we host some events where Black and Latinx families can meet one another, connect with one another and share their experiences about the school with one another. We are honoring their request. All families are welcome to attend all of our events, and families from a variety of backgrounds have done so.”

“Then why isn’t it called ‘Family Night’?” said Dave Kopel, who teaches constitutional law at the University of Denver. “What if that sign had said ‘White Family Night’? But then the school said, ‘Oh, and people of color can come too.’ ”

Kopel believes the sign violates the state Constitution, especially since Centennial is a public school. “You’ve got the sign, which says what it does and you’ve got the Colorado Constitution, which says what it does.”

Kopel was referring to a section of the state Constitution that says: “No sectarian tenets or doctrines shall ever be taught in the public school, nor shall any distinction or classification of pupils be made on account of race or color, nor shall any pupil be assigned or transported to any public educational institution for the purpose of achieving racial balance.”

Kopel said someone could sue the school district over the sign’s language, but the plaintiff would have to prove there was a tangible injury for the lawsuit to have a chance.

School officials say Families of Color Playground Night will continue next year, but it is not on Centennial Elementary’s official calendar.