Thursday 18 August 2022 07:52 PM Wisconsin school board to BAN 'political messages' in classrooms despite ... trends now
Parents and students slammed a Wisconsin school board's decision to create a sweeping ban on any and all political, religious, and secular symbols in classrooms, including banners supporting police, Black Lives Matter, and MAGA slogans, after a culture-war dispute over Pride flags and student pronouns.
The Kettle Moraine School Board voted Tuesday to keep a code of conduct in place that the superintendent recently interpreted as forbidding district employees from displaying these symbols in the classroom.
'The new rules concerning Pride flags and pronouns are concerning to me,' high school junior Abigail O'Connell, who identified as queer and uses the pronouns she and they, told the board. 'I feel accepted in my school now, but I came out last summer before freshman year and I was scared to go into high school.'
She said that seeing Pride flags in the classroom made her more comfortable.
Only board member Jim Romanowski voted against the measure, urging the other members to let students think for themselves
The Kettle Moraine School Board voted Tuesday to keep a code of conduct in place that the superintendent recently interpreted as forbidding district employees from displaying these symbols in the classroom
Kettle Moraine High School is located in the town of Wales, Wisconsin about an hour north of Milwaukee.
The meeting was kept strictly to in-district speakers to prevent outside influence on the debate. Kettle Moraine High School is located in the town of Wales, Wisconsin about an hour north of Milwaukee.
'The past few years have already caused enough challenges. Our children are behind. Now we are going to be seeing staffing challenges and wage inflation that will cause even more challenges. This effort on Pride flags and pronouns is nothing more than a central thinktank distraction,' said parent Jonathan M., who has three children in the district. 'Please begin focusing on being the employer of choice for our teachers to support our children.'
He said that years of business experience has taught him the 'Platinum rule'
'We treat others the way they want to be treated,' he said. 'This is one of the most valuable lesson that we could teach our students. Please consider reversing your decision.'
Abigail O'Connell, a junior in the district, said that she felt more comfortable as a queer student when there were Pride flags in the classroom
Parents and students expressed frustration over the restrictive policy regarding free speech at a packed Kettle Moraine School District meeting
The issue was raised by right-leaning school board member Kelly Brown, who has a son in the district, complained about the influence the banners were having on her son.
To strike a compromise Superintendent Stephen Plum said that the district would interpret the employee conduct guidelines to ban all such messaging.
'If you have a policy that says 'nothing political,' does that mean you can't have a sign up that says, 'Support our Troops,' or 'Believe Women' or 'Save the Planet?' By some people's definitions, all of those things are political,' said Christine Donahoe, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin.
School board members Kelly Brown and Carl Millard back more sweeping restrictions on classroom symbols
Donahoe said she's looking closely at the policy and a similar one approved last fall by the school district in nearby Waukesha.
'It really looks like targeted attacks at specific
