A recent decision by the Kettle Moraine School District to ban pride flags and prohibit the use of pronouns in emails and email signatures has drawn strong opposition.
The district posted about the decision July 27 on its Facebook page. It also posted video from the July 26 School Board meeting, in which the decision was shared as part of Superintendent Stephen Plum’s update to the board.
Plum said district policy prohibits staff from using their positions to promote partisan politics, sectarian religious views, selfish propaganda for personal, monetary or nonmonetary gain.
He said after legal analysis of the policy, the expectation is that teachers and administration will not display political or religious messaging in classrooms or on their person, including Pride flags. The expectation also prohibits pronouns, political language and religious views from staff emails and signatures, and that the standardized email expectation is name, position, title, location, certification, awards and degrees.
Plum said that although the policy’s language hasn’t changed, its interpretation, application and expectations have changed.
Plum also said Black Lives Matter, Thin Blue Line and We Back The Badge signs and flags could be considered political.
But in response to a question from board member Jay Crouse, Plum said a cross necklace would be acceptable if it is worn and is discreet.
“I would say that is a personal item, and I wouldn’t worry about that as opposed to something like a T-shirt that has large letters on it,” Plum said.
“We live in a world where politics are highlighted, and it puts people in uncomfortable positions. I feel the staff can fully support students. I feel that every staff member, custodian and teacher ought to know that it’s really in the best interest of the students to look out for them and to have strong, healthy relationships that develop therefrom,” Plum said.
Kettle Moraine School Board President Gary Vose agreed with the decision.
“This isn’t a case where we’re trying to discriminate against any group or groups … but rather just to bring clarity to allow staff to know where the line is drawn on these various things. It’s not a popularity contest. Regardless what we do here, we’re going to have some that are going to love it, some that are going to hate it. Regardless of that, I think it’s the right thing to do. I’m fully behind it,” Vose said during the meeting.
Decision decried as ‘horrendous’
The reaction on the district’s Facebook post was overwhelming opposition.
One of the commenters, Hayley Rozman, wrote that she was concerned about the mental health of LGBTQIA+ students and called the decision “absolutely horrendous.” Rozman identifies as gender nonbinary (she/they) and queer and is a 2014 Kettle Moraine High School graduate.
“By prohibiting the staff from having any sort of communications in the sense of promoting ‘I’m a safe space,’ ‘I have a rainbow flag’ or anything, doesn’t allow for any safety for students. If they are not safe at home, and they have to go to school eight hours a day, how can they be safe there? There’s nowhere to go. There’s no one to turn to. You don’t know who to talk to and how to be safe,” Rozman said in a July 28 phone interview.
Coral Heffron Neuhold, who graduated from Kettle Moraine High School in 2011, said she was not surprised by the district’s decision. Heffron Neuhold identifies as queer, and said the decision tells students they’re not welcome and supported. She also worries about the district’s staff members.
“It would be horrible to go to work in a place where you’re not allowed to feel comfortable with yourself either. I don’t know if there are any trans members in the current staff, but I don’t know what the School Board would do if a trans staff member isn’t allowed to even show their pronouns in an email signature. That’s awful. There’s so many levels to it,” Heffron Neuhold said in a phone interview.
Trey Korte, a former English teacher from Kettle Moraine High School who identifies as gay, was another of the many commenters on the district’s Facebook post. He questioned why the Pride flag was considered “political” or “religious” and why the district did not consider it a violation of freedom of speech to prohibit teachers from using their personal pronouns.
“The idea that the very presence of a Pride flag or markers that say this is a safe space — for that to be deemed as either political or religious, that seemed to be a real stretch. It seemed a passive-aggressive, legalistic way of silencing LGBTQ teachers and allies and students,” Korte said in a phone interview.
“Teachers not being able to promote political viewpoints – I get it, that’s fair, that’s sensible,” he added. “(But) If you’re going to tell a teacher that you can’t have a Pride flag because it’s ‘political,’ then I feel like the onus ought to be on you to explain why it’s political, and that’s the question they don’t seem to be answering. I feel like there’s avoidance there,” Korte said.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
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They got two out of three right.
“One of the commenters, Hayley Rozman, wrote that she was concerned about the mental health of LGBTQIA+ students and called the decision “absolutely horrendous.” Maybe try teaching the kids their ABC’s instead of LGBTQUIA, and get them some psychiatric counciliing for their mental health deficiencies already embraced in LGBTQIA,,,,from A to Z. Next they will be enlarging our alphabet to anything but alpha male.
Also, maybe if we spent more time, NOT CODDLING THESE folks, they wouldn’t have these mental issues.
My pronouns are That, It,and Wha-a-a-?
What’s up with spending every waking moment trying to identify yourself and avoid real life?
it appears the only thing these “teachers” care that your children learn and respect is the teacher’s broken sexual identities. (I suppose if you’re number 99 in the list of 128+ sexual options your best chance of mating is through grooming a student.
School isn’t supposed to be for messaging of any kind. Unfortunately, that seems to be all that comprises “education” these days: social indoctrination and unearned virtue. To their minds, slogans on shirts are just unauthorized curricula.
“One of the commenters, Hayley Rozman, wrote that she was concerned about the mental health of LGBTQIA+ students and called the decision “absolutely horrendous.” Rozman identifies as gender nonbinary (she/they) and queer and is a 2014 Kettle Moraine High School graduate.”
LGBTQIA+ students have a serious mental health derangements and these derangements should NOT be encouraged or supported by of the school staff.
One’s sexual fantasies should be kept private and NOT forced and flaunted upon others.
The LGBTQIA+ Con is just to want “equality, acceptance and tolerance.”
These LGBTQIA+’s are the open practitioners of the infamous crime against GOD and nature,
Who sold their souls to the malicious, venomous bullies of Organized LGBTQ mafia.
These Sodomites, will not tolerate and will attack and attempt to destroy anyone and anything not accepting and promoting their degenerate, sexually perverted lifestyle.
” to explain why it’s political” –
Thursday, March 12, 2015. Michael F. Haverluck (OneNewsNow.com)
“Biden went on to assure the pro-LGBTQ crowd that even though the Obama administration cannot enforce a thought police, people who stand for their religious convictions are in the process of being wiped out — as the White House’s homosexual agenda continues to proliferate across the nation. Carson and others who ascribe to the biblical view of homosexuality should be eradicated from the planet in the name of “equality” and “tolerance.” “
Remember, democrat president for two terms, Barack H. Obama, Lighted up the White House at night with the ” Gay Pride Lights. “
If kids that young are already sexually into LGBTQUIA, then obviously some mental and physical child abuse has already occurred and some parental or teacher abuse needs to be investigated with appropriate jail and fines enforced.
Exactly. IF BY LAW a person can’t be able to CONSENT TO SEX till 16+, then HOW THE HELL DOES A 4 yr old know what ‘GENDER they are’??
I love the clowns in society who do not know what gender they are! I think we should send these liberals to North Korea. Then these liberal clowns will find out very fast, from the North Korean communists, what “gender” they are!!!!!!
A good example for sexual ORIENTation.
Homosexuality is a birth defect, (they claim they were born this way) and we can’t hate someone for something beyond their control. Homosexual behavior however, is something they can control and society should expect them to control.
Just like homosexuality, some people are born with a predisposition to alcoholism. That’s who they are. We can’t hate them for that, but society expects them to not take a drink, because it leads to problems.
The likelihood is that there is a defective sex gene–yet to be discovered–which can be switched on after birth. I predict that by year 2300 homosexuality will be history. Gone. Eliminated. Check back here then, to see if I am right
AND IF IT IS a birth defect, WHAT gene causes it? WHere are the trials to CURE that defect?
It is funny how the LGBT folks only think about how they feel in the classroom. How do they think a Christian child feels having to sit in a classroom decked out in what is clearly not they life style they believe in. How safe do they feel, are they going to be able to speak freely?
BECAUSE like a lot of things, its ALL ONLY about them.. No one else.. Just like we saw in 2014-15, when this whole shebang first started rearing its ugly head, they wanted, nay DEMANDED one person’s “Rights” override 99.9999% of the other students rights…
Christians don’t count. Please try to keep up with intra-office memos.
Note: Here we Have a Fourth of July, DAY, JUNE 6Th. D-DAY, JUNE 19Th., Father’s DAY, MAY 8Th., MOTHER’S DAY, MAY 30Th. MEMORIAL DAY,but we have ” BLACK History MONTH, ”
“… but for ban pride flags and prohibit the use of pronouns in emailsl ” Taken from Above Article.
There should be NO flags depicting a religion, sexual orientation, race, or politics in any school classroom. The kids need to be taught things that will help them get a career to allow them to live a reasonable life. They don’t need to be brainwashed with all this phony woke and queer stuff. This country is slowly being destroyed by a very small percentage of our population, and unless they are stopped they will succeed.
“…There is also a section addressing four recognition months that are commonly acknowledged in the USA: Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. Authors: Deborah J. Short, et al. Format: Text…”
If all these people want to flaunt who they are, please go join Brittney Griner and enjoy the freedom that country allows you to have, Better than the USA huh?
I’ve been wondering if she’ll take a knee to the Russian anthem. I have money, any takers?
No dice..
Brittney Griners wants to return to mean America!, Go Figure….
Plum said that Black Lives Matter, could be considered political, really? They are a Marxist organization for crying out loud, and a rich one at that! Just listen to the tape of one of the leaders say she is a trained Marxist.
The alphabet soup people have always used politics to get special “rights” in their favor. That is the state of affairs we are in today.
AND if they were ‘not political’, WHY THEN HAVE They amassed so much POLITICAL POWER IN just two years! Even getting senators to ‘kiss’ their behinds.
ALL Lives Matter, Yes, Even White Race Lives, Should Matter.!
Jesse Jackson > Quotes > Quotable Quote
(?)
Jesse Jackson
“There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps… then turn around and see somebody white and feel relieved.”
― Jesse Jackson