The meeting is open to the public and there will be time for the public to voice their opinions and concerns on what is going to be considered controversial. 24 for the board to consider the new policy. This is not about politics, this is about ensuring all students feel safe and welcome.” Fort Wayne PrideĪ special board meeting will be held Aug. with love - on Facebook and Twitter and asked supporters to change their. If a teacher is not even able to hang a flag which represents that protection, what does that say to the LGBTQ students in that community? We urge the Bluffton Harrison School Board and any other school district facing the same choice to allow teachers to display the rainbow flag. Before long, the HRC logo was as visible at pride celebrations and other LGBTQ+. Classrooms and schools have a responsibility to protect all students from harm and bullying. When in an accepting environment, that rate drops significantly. That rate is even higher for transgender students.
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual students are five times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. The rainbow flag is a welcoming symbol of love to students who may not always feel that at school, in the community, or even in their own home. Students who are not LGBTQ also know they have entered a space where bullying will not be tolerated. When an LGBTQ student or students from LGBTQ families see a rainbow flag, they know they have entered a safe space. The LGBTQ Pride flag is a symbol of inclusion that is welcoming to all. We believe they are wrong and have misconstrued the meaning of the LGBTQ Pride flag. Many who are opposed are saying this is promoting sex and politics in the classroom and that it is divisive. “We have heard about the controversy that has occurred in the nearby Bluffton Harrison School District over a rainbow flag hanging in an eighth grade classroom. Yates says that the school board hasn’t had the discussion of what is controversial or not.įort Wayne Pride issued the following statement on its Facebook page regarding the incident: Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District has more than 1,700 students enrolled.