Members of the School Committee decided to delay discussion on the proposed draft of the school district’s flag policy until early September.
Community members spoke out about the draft at a committee meeting and said that more time should be given to discuss the policy.
Resident Renee Ramirez Keaney had questions around the implementation of the policy.
“Are you intending to give students and staff a voice as to how they choose to create and express their sense of community?” Ramirez Keaney asked.
She went on to read a statement on the school district’s website.
“It’s the mission of the school department to foster an environment of belonging and acceptance,” Ramirez Keaney read.
Resident Cameron Wolfsen said she chose to raise her children in Marblehead because she felt it was a town that shared her family’s values of inclusivity, kindness, and civic responsibility.
“The school district lists school culture among its core values and promises to create an environment of respect and appreciation for individual and cultural differences and instill a passion for responsible social action,” Wolfsen said.
Resident Jordan Caress-Wheelwright, who works at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), reported that GLAD has recently won several cases challenging discrimination and censorship in schools, including in Massachusetts.
She said she shared the district’s proposed policy with three senior attorneys and constitutional-law experts at GLAD.
“They cautioned that the proposed policy extends far beyond what flags fly on the flagpole,” Caress-Wheelwright said.
In particular, she said the language around banners and similar symbolic displays was concerning.
“It’s vague and open to broad interpretation that could lead to enforcement that infringes on constitutional rights of teachers and students,” Caress-Wheelwright said.
Committee Vice Chair Alison Taylor said that the district has never had a flag policy before.
She added that it has not been an issue before, but said a policy should be developed.
“Administration asked us and, by law, when administration asks what a policy is, we do have to develop one,” Taylor said.
Taylor said she was not present during the initial listening session on the matter, and would like to have another one if it is the will of the committee.
“My intention today was to bring this to the School Committee and get the School Committee members’ feeling on this so that we are, as a subcommittee, going in the right direction,” School Committee Chair Jenn Schaeffner said. “It is also an opportunity for the superintendent to share his thoughts on that as well.”
Schaeffner emphasized that this is an interim process and said there will be further meetings and opportunities for people to express their thoughts on the proposed policy as the school year begins.
“My initial response to the policy was that it probably makes sense to have something that we can follow so there’s things in place,” interim Superintendent John Robidoux said.
Robidoux said that upon further reflection and after some of the conversations he has had over the last few weeks, he feels it is important that the administration gives students a voice.
“Tabling this discussion and having a larger, more inclusive input from the community makes sense,” Robidoux said.
