A Maryland school board president alleged that LGBT flags were "shoved down teachers'" throats to display on their desks.
The Carroll County school board in Maryland has decided to adopt a new policy on political symbols after its members reported that teachers were "bullied" into displaying LGBT flags on their desks. The new policy would ban items such as the rainbow pride flag representing the LGBT community and instead allow only the American flag, Maryland state flag, and Carroll County flags to be displayed in classrooms.
According to Fox News, the Maryland school board last week voted to create a policy over displaying LGBT flags after several small rainbow pride flags were received by the Carroll County Public Schools. The LGBT flags were donated by the Westminster chapter of PFLAG, a national LGBTQ group. School staff members where then encouraged to display them on their desks or classrooms to show their support for the LGBT community.
However, not everyone was happy with the move. A Carroll County parent named Caitlin Edmondson called it "very concerning."
"The pride flags that are being forced upon teachers do not solely represent the gay community. They also represent gender identity and transgender ideology," Edmondson argued. "As a parent of a 6-year-old in CCPS, it is very concerning that anyone would think it is OK to push these agendas on our youngest and most vulnerable."
Carroll County school board Superintendent Steven Lockard on Wednesday said during the board meeting that the LGBT flags were available to any teacher or staff member who wanted one and was not forced on anybody. However, school board members reported that some teachers felt "bullied" into displaying the LGBT flags out of political pressure. They also raised concerns that the LGBT flag violates the district's political neutrality policy, which was recently updated.
"Our students are a captive audience and as such need to be protected from all political agendas, both from the right and the left," school board member Donna Sivigny argued during the meeting. She also underscored the need to "support all kids in a "politically neutral way."
School board President Kenneth Kiler took a more impassioned approach, remarking, "These flags were shoved down teachers' throats to put on their desk - that's not inclusive. That's not the way it ought to be."
Sivigny then proposed to the Maryland school board a new flag policy that would effectively prohibit any political flags to be flow and allow just the American flag, Maryland state flag, and Carroll County flags to be displayed in classrooms. The Maryland school board committed to developing a policy on flags and heard public comment on the policy before taking a vote.
The pushback against LGBT agenda comes at a time when states are cracking down on liberal ideologies in school. Florida has led by example with its Parental Rights in Education law, which is the model for other states to pass similar legislation. According to the Daily Signal, a report from The Heritage Foundation found that states are now "responding to parent dissatisfaction by increasing classroom transparency and asserting parents' rights as decision-makers for their children." Such states that have adopted such legislation are Alabama, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, and Indiana.
