ANALYSIS
Indiana Students Urge School Board to Keep LGBTQ Pride Flag But District Labels It ‘Indoctrination’

The Bluffton-Harrison, Indiana school board met Tuesday evening during a special session called to seek public input on a proposed new rule for “controversial materials.” The new rule, a resolution, was drafted in response to one parent’s complaint about an LGBTQ pride flag that’s been hanging in a middle school classroom for years.
District Superintendent Dr. Brad Yates deemed the LGBTQ flag “controversial” in a letter to parents and in a Facebook post last week. In a proposed resolution introduced at Tuesday’s meeting the school board makes clear it considers support of LGBTQ issues “indoctrination.”
Tuesday evening, students and others urged the board to keep the flag.
HAPPENING NOW: Bluffton-Harrison MSD Board of School Trustees special meeting to discuss “controversial material.” This comes after a Pride flag was hanging in a middle school classroom, sparking a debate over LGBTQ* rights in schools. More on @FOX55FortWayne pic.twitter.com/BQD53tNJc7
— Nico Pennisi (@npennisiFOX55) August 24, 2021
One brave student spoke in front of more than 100 parents, teachers, and students, telling the school board that “it’s rough,” and “we don’t have anybody to turn to.”
Fighting back tears the student, in the video below, says the pride flag “stands for everything”:
It’s been nearly two hours of public comment. pic.twitter.com/lxf4Gmwcrh
— Taylor Williams (@T_Williams_News) August 24, 2021
WANE reports the draft policy being considered is called a “Resolution Regarding Respect and Inclusion of All Students.”
NCRM’s reading of the policy shows that anti-LGBTQ bias is baked into the document.
“When beliefs and opinions differ, they will be discussed in respectful ways,” part of the draft says. It adds that the school district “does not wish to indoctrinate students on topics outside the school curricula, nor does it wish to marginalize those with views on topics with which others in the community disagree.”
But anything less that full acceptance of the school district’s LGBTQ students and faculty marginalizes them, and their right to exist openly cannot be allowed to be considered “topics with which others in the community disagree.”
The resolution notes the school district bans discrimination based on “sex, race, national origin, religion, or disability,” but in a separate line notes that “the federal courts” classify sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination as illegal. It does not take a stand on those forms of discrimination, which again is marginalizing.
The resolution says teachers can “introduce” controversial materials, “provided their use” does not “tend to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view.”
That policy only serves to protect the school district (which consulted with an attorney before introducing the resolution,) place blame if anything goes wrong on the teacher, and enable anti-LGBTQ bullies to continue bullying by telegraphing that being LGBTQ is “controversial.”
WANE reporter Taylor Williams tweeted out some of the public comments from Tuesday’s meeting:
A Fort Wayne mother says she moved to Bluffton for the school system. She is a lesbian and wants her daughter to feel safe.
— Taylor Williams (@T_Williams_News) August 24, 2021
A parent told the school board that the school shouldn’t have taken the Bible out of the school and also to keep the Pride flag up
— Taylor Williams (@T_Williams_News) August 24, 2021
Speaker number 3 is a former Bluffton Harrison student.
She says she was bullied at the school when she came out here junior year. She said the bullying was so bad she dropped out.
“I wish I had a teacher with I flag I could of gone to.” pic.twitter.com/8rvlOJUN5z
— Taylor Williams (@T_Williams_News) August 24, 2021
This appears to be the 8th grade science teacher who hung the flag in her classroom:
The 8th grade teacher is now speaking.
“When you come into Bluffton it says we are building an exclusive community.”
“Our community has always been divided. Now it’s just out in the open” pic.twitter.com/5eyV77rxG8
— Taylor Williams (@T_Williams_News) August 24, 2021
“This is not an LGBTQ program, it’s a bullying problem,” a speaker said.
Another compared the Pride flag to a yellow police safe sign.
— Taylor Williams (@T_Williams_News) August 24, 2021
Next speaker is a former Bluffton resident. He’s asking that the school teach inclusion.
He’s also asking why the Christian Youth programs are allowed in but not a Pride flag. pic.twitter.com/QRstIJad58
— Taylor Williams (@T_Williams_News) August 24, 2021
A student have come forward to talk about bullying in the school and asking the board to let her and her friends “keep their safe place”
— Taylor Williams (@T_Williams_News) August 24, 2021
Not all the speakers were supportive of keeping the LGBTQ pride flag.
A substitute teacher told the board he didn’t understand the hate coming from the LGBTQ community. Here’s what happened toward the end of his public comment pic.twitter.com/226LXlFuhA
— Taylor Williams (@T_Williams_News) August 24, 2021
Image by Prachatai via Flickr and a CC license
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