School Board in California Votes to Allow Only State or U.S. Flag to be Flown Over School Buildings
“When a school starts endorsing any single particular point of view, that can be divisive”
School board members of the Sunol Glen School Unified School District in California recently voted to allow only the state flag or the U.S. flag to be flown over school buildings.
This has prompted anger from some parents and staff members who want to be able to fly the LGBT pride flag over the school.
FOX News reports:
Parents outraged after California school votes to forbid banners other than American, state flag
Parents and staff are claiming a California school district is targeting LGBTQ Pride flags after the board voted to forbid the display of banners other than the American or California state flags.
Trustees representing the Sunol Glen School Unified School District in the East Bay, which serves 270 K-8 students, engaged in a tense exchange with attendees at a Tuesday meeting.
“The symbol of the flag solidifies that message,” Sunol Glen Superintendent and Principal Molleen Barnes said during Tuesday’s meeting. “Tonight, with this resolution, our board members have been clear where they stand.”
Barnes also noted that the school has previously displayed Pride flags to remind LGBTQ students and families they “are a place of equity and inclusivity.”
“When a school starts endorsing any single particular point of view, that can be divisive,” Board President Ryan Jergensen said when asked to explain the proposed policy. “The school should be inclusive of all. Individual views are irrelevant. I prefer to seek more for what unites us as a school.”
This video report includes footage from the school board meeting and comments from locals.
This CBS News Bay Area article notes in the title that the LGBT flag is a ‘special interest’ flag:
Sunol Glen School bans special interest flags on school property at tense meeting
“This school is our community, like this school is Sunol,” said Erin Choin as she gestured toward the school, originally built in 1925.
“We have the Sunol Repertory Theater that performs in this school. We have Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4H. I mean, every civic activity goes through this school,” she said.
Choin lives in Sunol and has three children who attend the public school that goes from preschool through 8th grade. That’s why she was so disappointed when she heard about the school board proposal to ban all special interest flags on school grounds.
“When we show symbols of inclusion where everybody belongs and you can be who you are, especially at this formative age for children, then we feel like it’s a safe environment to be in,” said Choin.
That’s why she and other parents, including Diana Rohini LaVigne, formed the group “Sunol Glen 4 All” to protest some of the new policies discussed at recent board meetings.
“We really need to show the support that Sunol Glen is inclusive, and really make that statement so we can make sure that no longer will we see these conservative-leaning policies,” said LaVigne.
This is a K-8 school, so why is this even an issue? The left has pushed people too far and now people are finally pushing back.
Featured image via YouTube.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Makes sense. I’m sure that the CA state courts will find/make up out of whole cloth some way to overturn it.
It probably won’t even have to come to that. The California legislature has demonstrated tremendous willingness to usurp the authority of local school boards by passing statewide edicts demanding fidelity to the WOKE religion. For instance…
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-07/california-lawmakers-ok-bill-to-crack-down-on-school-boards-amid-textbook-culture-wars
I suspect they’ll do it again for this, probably sooner rather than later.
They are pissed to have lost their ability to lord a public space over you.
Good move.
They can sew it on their back packs, right next to the patch of the Gadson flag.
There is no reason to fly flags not associated with the government entity at said government entities buildings.
If they fly the shame flag someone should sue to fly some flag they will hate.
Thin blue line flags. Gadsden flags. The Come and Take It flag.
A flag represents who owns a bit of ground so they will fight this hard.
Arguably, the Gadsden and Gonzalez flags are historical American (or Texas) flags and would be perfectly appropriate to fly outside an American (or Texas) school. Though, they should probably require some connection to a date on which they’re being flown, as they are not the normal national/state standard.
If it’s the school itself flying the flags, then you can’t sue to have your flag flown too. The school is entitled to have a policy that it endorses the rainbow flag and the BLM flag and the hammer-and-sickle, and does not endorse the thin blue line flag, or even the USA flag. It’s when it allows other people to fly flags from the school building that it must give equal opportunity to all viewpoints.
I imagine you are correct about the current state of things. I would argue that a government entity is not really entitled to have that level of POV. Frankly the Pride flag is to my mind establishing a religion. Especially since it directly opposes several other religions on it support of certain acts.
I doubt that the CA state courts would agree with me, certainly not the 9th circuit of the federal court and only maybe SCOTUS as currently constituted.
It’s not “the current state of things”, it’s how it has always been, and how it was always intended to be, and nobody disputes it. It’s absolutely black-letter law. Governments are entitled to have and to express their own opinions. They are not allowed to endorse a religion, but this is not a religion. Any suggestion that it is a religion would be laughed out of every court in the land.
No court in the USA, now or at any time since the founding, would agree with you.
Ummm, no, Milhouse, it can’t – that would be an establishment of religion.
And, yes, Progressivism is clearly an actual religion.
It’s also POV discrimination. The government must treat everyone equally. The ONLY POV the school can endorse is one of equality and the state (since it is a state institution).
This might not be de facto, but it sure as hell is de jure, under the Constitution.
No, GWB, that is just not true, and never has been true. It is simply not the case, and you are completely mistaken. Governments are entitled to have opinions and to express them. That is long-established black-letter law. That you don’t like it is irrelevant.
The LGBT nonsense is a religion. It CLEARLY meets the legal definition of ‘religion’ set forth in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Ac:, ‘theistic or non-theistic…moral or ethical beliefs as to what is right and wrong which are sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views.” Can anyone argue that the Pride Flag doesn’t represent (for adherents) what’s right or wrong in a way that is sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views? I don’t think so.
The Pride Flag should not be flown over a public school for the same reason that the Knights of Columbus or Opus Dei flags can’t legally be flown over the public schools. The Pride Flag is a totem, a representation of a specific faith, a non-theistic faith, but a faith nonetheless.
Yep. And next they will probably apply for the religion tax exempt status.
That is simply not the case. You are not telling the truth. There is no court in the land that would entertain such an idea. You’d be lucky not to be sanctioned for filing a frivolous suit.
That’s what flags are for, identifying post offices, public schools and embassies abroad.
Football games and politicians is just marketing.
“Barnes also noted that the school has previously displayed Pride flags to remind LGBTQ students and families they “are a place of equity and inclusivity.”
Oh. No flag, on “inclusivity”? No gay kids can attend school now?
These people are unhinged.
It’s a government building. Government flags only.
Very interesting that the religion of false idols fights so hard to have the cross removed from public spaces and then demand their idols be hung proudly over all, mowing down the same criticism they used to remove the cross… and their logic is that the absence of their idolatry makes them feel less safe.
The left was NEVER arguing for real freedom. They were ALWAYS about knocking down the moral boundaries so they could dive deeply into their hedonism.
Real freedom is the result of aligning ones thoughts and actions with Reality, and Reality is one of the names of God. Leftism has no desire for real freedom. It hates it.
A flag is a sign of allegiance. Period. Flying the flag of any state or religion signifies adherence to that state or religion.
Flying the queer flag signifies adherence to the Progressive religion by a state school. That’s in violation of the First Amendment.
Flags are a sign of allegiance only in the virtue signal sense. Not only the left likes virtue signalling.
Flying a flag at my home is most definitely NOT virtue signaling. I DO pledge my allegiance to my nation.
But that’s because you make it so.
And I’m glad you do.
It sounds like common sense to me. As a government institution the school should fly the State and U.S. flag. However, should they decide to fly one special interest group’s flag, they would be required by equal protection to fly the flag of any group that expressed interest. Would these people like to see the flag of ISIS or the KKK flown over their school?
No, they would not be required to fly other flags, so long as it’s they who are flying the flags, and choosing which ones to fly based on the school’s own viewpoint. VIewpoint-neutrality is only required when the school is allowing other people to express their views.
Milhouse, you’re arguing idiocy. And I think the law is pretty clear you’re wrong, too.
No, GWB, what I wrote is the universally-accepted law. There is simply no dispute about it. You will not find any first-amendment expert, let alone a court, that will disagree with what I wrote.
The Take No Prisoners Burn It All Down philosophy of the Left works against them in cases like this. (thankfully) Sane members of the school board most probably got together and said “If we let flags other than the State and US flag fly, we’re going to have a line of people demanding this one or that one every meeting, every time, for hours on end, with horns and screeching and we don’t get paid enough for that. Make a simple resolution, two flags, no others, done and next. It will mean more screaming in the short-term, but blessed peace and real school board work afterwards.”
We need Pride Flag Potty Paper.
Huh? So the LGBT Flag according to those opposed to this measure is a “symbols of inclusion where everybody belongs”.
Really? So remind me which stripe stands for Hetero-sexuals?
Oh, so not so “Inclusive” it would seem.
Ahh, now I see the real reason they have their knickers in a twist.
“so we can make sure that no longer will we see these conservative-leaning policies”
Strange that doesn’t sound very “Inclusive” either.
“When a school starts endorsing any single particular point of view, that can be divisive”
How is it possible for a school not to avoid “endorsing any single particular point of view”? That’s what education is – endorsing a “single particular point of view”. This is the problem with our “One Best System” of government-run schools – there is only room for one “single particular point of view”.
Please stop applauding parents who storm school board meetings in order to demand they accommodate their “single particular point of view” (no matter how much you agree with it). Encourage parents to remove their children from the government schools – America’s best example of totalitarian socialism. Promote school choice.
I meant to write: “How is it possible for a school to avoid “endorsing any single particular point of view”?”
I’m speaking here as a homosexual. These people who need pride flags and celebrations are pathetic. They view their lives through the prism of their sexual orientation.
In my case, it is a very small part of who I am. I don’t need affirmation, celebration, or flags.
Well-stated, Grizz.
Thank you.
They view their lives through the prism of their sexual orientation.
That is the essence of identity politics: Every. Single. Thing. must be seen through the lens of “identity.”
It’s also why they fall apart when one of them goes off the plantation and starts thinking for himself. “If you don’t vote [the way we say you should], you ain’t black/queer/feminist/etc.”
“Identity” is more important than the individual.
Defining oneself or ascribing value by some attribute that was not selected by you is the ultimate form of self-devaluation.
Being a conservative is as simple as getting on board the train car containing the least number of people who seek to murder me and the least number of people who I’d like to put in a wood chipper pre-mortem.
Not going there. Not going there. Not even looking in that direction.
<grins, ducks for cover>
Our sexuality SHOULD be a small part of who we are. Humans are incredibly multi-faceted. To take one facet and expand it beyond ALL others is extremely limiting and quite diminishing of a person’s accomplishment—no matter the facet being highlighted.
I request the ability to edit my own posts, and to block trolls and commenters who cannot express themselves without using profanity.
Profanity is the peppersauce of commentary.
And you’ve seen the Frank’s ad, haven’t you?
Profanity is a sign of limited vocabulary.
Sometimes it’s a sign of real outrage, though.
Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
“Profanity is a sign of limited vocabulary.”
That’s actually a pretty silly statement. It’s plain to see that a vocabulary without profanity is more limited than a vocabulary with profanity.
It’s sterling advice, though. I’m going to keep it in the same box as the Ruger that I bought because my penis was so small.
I suggest making large donations to the LI tech fund.
Place larger and larger donations until it happens.
What tech fund?
No tech fund is required. A WordPress plugin to do that is readily available.
I don’t want the ability for posters to edit posts after they are posted. On other sites where this is allowed, it sometimes leads to other posters replying to the original post. Then the original post is changed making the reply seem odd.
I think that if you want to edit your post, then post a reply to the post you want to edit. I want to see the original thoughts, warts and all.
https://slashdot.org/story/22/04/16/2024222/should-twitters-edit-button-preserve-your-tweets-history-online
This is related to stealth edits on certain websites.
Sorry for the excessive use of the word, post.
Do I detect a red remnant revolution rising in California school systems?
This common-sense policy should apply to all federal buildings and overseas embassies. It’s disgraceful for any federal building to fly flags and iconography of any partisan political movement, whether the flag in question is that of “Black Lives Matter” terrorists, or, “rainbow” flags, or, any other ideology.
Massachusetts will continue to let its freak flag fly.
“Special interest flags” are inevitably politically related these days.
“Parents and staff” who are pissed about restricting those flags are, no surprise, political activists.
We used to understand that and police ourselves, no longer. Restrictions have to be in writing now. Suck it up sunshine.
Will those demanding an ‘inclusive’ approach to flag flying support flying a Christian flag, a JewishIsraeli flag, a conservative flag, or a historical flag?
Somehow I suspect their opposition to the US and state flags only is not about other flags being banned, but about not being able to fly their flags.
Unfortunately, our home town prefers to virtue signal at both the Town Hall and at all our Public Schools. Banners of special interest and partisan political groups should not be displayed under the US Flag on public property. By catering to the wishes of one group they are disenfranchising others – not very inclusive or equitable – there is only one flag that represents all of us..