The School Committee’s pending flag policy continues to be a source of lively debate for Marblehead parents, students and community members, as was apparent Friday at the Policy Subcommittee meeting via Zoom.
Most attendees who spoke during public comment expressed their disapproval of the policy drafted by the School Committee’s attorney, John Foskett of Valeria Dominello & Hillman, LLC.
They felt the committee did not actually listen to the feedback it received from community members and students who support having Black Lives Matter, Pride and other inclusive flags on school grounds and want to leave the decision-making process on what flags to fly up to the students. One even threatened to pull their children out of Marblehead Public Schools if this policy is approved.
“At this point, it’s just clear that the community forum was just a performative exercise being carried out so that you can check off a box that said you offered the public a chance to speak,” Chris Bruell said. “When it comes down to it, it’s pretty clear that the subcommittee, maybe the larger committee, is not interested in what we have to say or how we feel.
“You’re not interested in what our students have to say. You’re not interested in how our students feel. You’re not interested in the negative effects that this flag censorship policy will have on many kids who are already being ostracized.”
School Committee Board Member Alison Taylor said after the public comment period that she found it “dismissive to say that (holding public forums) was just checking a box.”
“I do think having the discussion and allowing them the opportunity to speak and share their thoughts, whether it’s the community or students, is important and hugely valued,” she said. “That doesn’t always necessarily translate into doing what they suggested — and certainly, having been on the other side for years, I understand that frustration.”
Some parents did show support for the subcommittee’s drafted flag policy, though.
“I think you guys, the subcommittee, did a very good job at making a policy that rises above all the students and doesn’t allow any one faction — whether it be students, administrators or the school committee — to decide which symbols speak for everyone,” Nyla DuBois said.
She also emphasized that this is an issue of government speech, not free speech, and that students have and will continue to have the right to demonstrate free speech.
“I think it’s important to let the students know that they can wear flags. They have lots of opportunities for free speech,” DuBois said. “What they can’t do is tell the government what the government can say for everybody because we elected you guys, and you’re making the decisions because we elected you. You’re making the policy because we elected you. I think it’s very smart to make a policy that says that nobody can decide which symbols speak for everybody.”
Sharman Pollender, who is in favor of the proposed flag policy, raised concerns that White community members continue to speak on behalf of people of color and ignore people of color when they express differing opinions.
“I am continuously listening to all of you on your soapboxes saying to this community what I need and what people of color want,” she said. “This affects my children, the ones you claim are marginalized, and clearly you don’t want to listen to what people of color have to say.
“Did you ever think about the constant harassment that I’ve received, that Nyla had to endure last week, that my children have to deal with? These flags have continued to divide in this community and in this country. I’ve lived in this community for 20 years. I’ve never had any racial issues until 2021, and to be honest, it is continually getting worse.”
DuBois also shared frustrations that community members and students have consistently been using language which assumes that they are speaking on behalf of all students rather than simply a percentage.
“The reason this has become such a big topic is because it hits at the heart of liberalism and freedom itself. When I keep hearing people say ‘our students,’ ‘all the students,’ ‘these students’ or ‘everyone’ — words like this, all I’m hearing is that some students are claiming to have a voice for all of the students,” DuBois said. “I have two kids that have Black grandparents, and these symbols do not speak for my family.
“We live in Marblehead, and there’s many, many other families. There are 20,000 people here. You can’t say that this one tiny group of students that made this draft flag policy speaks for the entire school or the entire district because of the district policy.”
Chair Jenn Shaeffner said she projects the first reading of a finalized flag policy to be shared at the March 20 School Committee meeting after some readability issues are tightened up, such as: clarifying who constitutes as a third party, expanding on the differences between indoor and outdoor flags and considering a potential time length in which flags can fly.
