After having come under fierce criticism for prohibiting pride and Black Lives Matter flags specifically, school board members broadened a ban last month to block educators from displaying all symbols that the board deemed “political, quasi-political or controversial.” Newberg administrators also cited political neutrality in defending their policy. “For me, when a teacher put up that sticker, it basically conveyed the message that ‘when you come in here, you will not be hated for who you love or what you identify as,’” said Frausto, who is gay.Īfter the protest, the district defended the move in a statement as a way “to ensure that all students feel safe regardless of background or identity” by maintaining political impartiality. “Feeling safe should not be political,” said Victor Frausto, 16, a student at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, just outside Dallas. In most cases, administrators have said the LGBTQ emblems are divisive and “ political.” LGBTQ students, parents and teachers affected by the bans contend that the new rules harm a vulnerable group of young people. Students, teachers and parents rallied Thursday in Newberg, Ore., to oppose an imminent vote by the school board that would prohibit Black Lives Matter and pride flags or banners in schools.
And in August, pride symbols were targeted at a high school near Dallas, where rainbow stickers were ordered to be scraped off classroom doors. Students at a high school near Jacksonville, Florida, were accused several weeks ago of harassing classmates in a Gay Straight Alliance club and stomping on pride flags.
A teacher resigned in Missouri last month after he was told to remove a rainbow flag from his classroom and that he couldn’t discuss “sexual preference” at school. Southwest of Kansas City last week, the Osawatomie school board, in Miami County voted 5-2 to determine that rainbow LGBTQ pride flags were “political” and violated board policy, so are not allowed.Several other school officials and students around the country have targeted LGBTQ symbols. The use of these cards, however, is determined to not be an appropriate step at this time.”
In its Monday email, district officials wrote, “We remain committed to providing professional development to help our staff create a safe, collaborative, and inclusive environment, consistent with our core beliefs, where each student feels a sense of belonging. This may save a kid from making a similar decision like I did because we didn’t have these.” “This may seem small to some but to queer students who may feel like they don’t have a place, this means the world. My parents moved me out of the district.” Justice Horn, who is running for the Jackson County Legislature and serves on Kansas City’s LGBTQ Commission, tweeted that, “In 2011, I tried taking my own life because I was bullied for being gay while attending Grain Valley South Middle School. And they are more or less buckling under pressure from a select few parents who have expressed concerns about it,” said Travis Holt, a Grain Valley graduate who is gay. “I think those signs would be really beneficial And to see that the school board has decided to lock down on that has really showed me they don’t really have the students’ best interests at heart.