The conservative 4-3 majority on the Newberg, Oregon school board has a message for students, parents, and teachers upset with their recent decision to ban LGBTQ Pride and Black Lives Matter flags: “Deal with it.”
The Oregonian reports the four conservatives on the school board say they were elected and have a majority that allows them to take this action. Others, like the ACLU, disagree.
The board has now hired an outside attorney to defend its decision to ban the flags.
Last week about 100 protestors gathered in downtown Newberg “weeks after a new conservative school board majority voted to ban staff and faculty from displaying Pride and Black Lives Matter banners in their buildings,” The Oregonian also reports.
The ACLU of Oregon on Thursday says it “sent a letter to the Newberg School District today, demanding the immediate retraction of a ban on displays of Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ Pride.”
“As students, teachers, and staff return to school, they should feel welcomed and included – that they belong. That is exactly what Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ Pride messages do. This is welcoming and inclusive speech. It is protected speech,” ACLU of Oregon Legal Director Kelly Simon said.
KGW News posted this report last week: