Much as I am outraged by public school antics, I don’t see that here.
Nearest analogy I can think of off hand is learning Greek mythology. We did presentations about the gods and their powers. IIRC, we survived just fine.
Did you read the article? This wasn’t simply an art project, but an effort to treat the images as real beings with real powers.
It depends on how it’s presented. I was raised learning about Indian folklore (TV westerns being all the rage then) and about mythology of various lands. I’d be suspicious with the crop of modern teachers though!