Wisconsin district bans pride flags from classrooms

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin college district’s resolution to inform bar workers from displaying homosexual pleasure flags in lecture rooms or from placing their most popular pronouns in electronic mail signatures prompted pushback from college students, alumni and others, whereas the superintendent mentioned it was simply reaffirming a coverage that was already in place.

Kettle Moraine College District Superintendent Stephen Plum just lately informed the college board the district’s interpretation of a coverage that prohibits employees from utilizing their positions to advertise partisan politics, non secular views and propaganda for private, financial or nonmonetary achieve modified following a authorized evaluation, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Plum mentioned academics and directors are prohibited from displaying political or non secular messages of their lecture rooms or on their particular person, together with homosexual pleasure flags and Black Lives Matter and We Again the Badge indicators. Employees additionally could not say in emails what their most popular pronouns are.

The district posted in regards to the resolution on its Fb web page July 27, drawing lots of of feedback, most in opposition to the transfer.

Trey Korte, who’s homosexual and taught English at Kettle Moraine Excessive College from 2009 to 2019, mentioned he was offended and unhappy in regards to the coverage disallowing pleasure flags.

“If you take away one thing that had been there awhile that represented a marginalized group, while you take that away, it does make individuals really feel unwelcome,” Korte informed The Related Press Wednesday.

Critics mentioned the ban conflicts with the college district’s motto “Studying With out Boundaries,” as promoted on its web site.

“We reside in a world the place politics are highlighted, and it places individuals in uncomfortable positions. I really feel the employees can absolutely help college students. I really feel that each employees member, custodian and instructor should know that it’s actually in the perfect curiosity of the scholars to look out for them and to have sturdy, wholesome relationships that develop therefrom,” Plum informed the college board at a July 26 assembly.

Kettle Moraine College Board President Gary Vose backed the choice.

“This isn’t a case the place we’re making an attempt to discriminate towards any group or teams for that matter, however relatively simply to carry readability to permit employees to know the place the road is drawn on these varied issues. It’s not a recognition contest. Regardless what we do right here, we’re going to have some which can be going to like it, some which can be going to hate it. No matter that, I feel it’s the correct factor to do. I’m absolutely behind it,” Vose mentioned.

Two college students at Kettle Moraine Excessive College, Bethany Provan and Brit Farrar began a web-based petition opposing the ban, which had generated almost 1,400 signatures by Wednesday.

The petition mentioned that pleasure flags may also help college students “really feel protected and supported” and that as an alternative of barring academics from utilizing their most popular pronouns in electronic mail signatures, colleges ought to educate college students what pronouns are.

“You utilize them in on a regular basis life. So is it a criminal offense for our academics to say what they wish to be referred by?” the petition mentioned.