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Whether the Progress Pride Flag will be permitted for year-round display on flagpoles at Dublin Unified School District sites is not yet determined, amid criticism surrounding the flag’s recent lowering at Dublin High School.
At the DUSD Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday (April 15), trustees were originally set to decide between two versions of a resolution that acknowledged June as LGBTQ Pride Month that differed by the location the “rainbow flag” would be flown. In one version, the flag would be displayed this June at the district office and the district’s secondary schools. The other version stated exclusive display at the district office during that month.
About 30 commenters, including DHS students and teachers from throughout the Tri-Valley, said one summertime month of flag display was not adequate. Instead, they supported year-round flying of the flag as well as approval of a student-led alternate resolution.
In the following board discussion, trustees were split. They expressed concern regarding other possible flag-flying requests, LGBTQIA+ student well-being, prior legal counsel suggesting restricted flag flying to the district office and current board policy.
In the end, Superintendent Chris Funk suggested postponing the board’s discussion and vote until he met with student groups and wrote a subsequent resolution.
“What I heard was that the district management’s position is ‘the mistake that was made was leaving the Pride flag up for a year.’ I think that’s a shameful stance to take,” Livermore City Councilmember Evan Branning, who works as an educator and is the current president of the Association of the Pleasanton Teachers, said at the Dublin meeting. “The mistake was taking it down.”
On April 3, the flag was lowered at DHS, according to Funk. It had been on the flagpole all school year, according to a social media post by PFLAG Tri-Valley, a chapter of a national LGBTQIA+ advocacy group.
The following day, DHS students commemorated the Day of Silence, a nationally recognized demonstration where LGBTQIA+ students and allies protest harassment and discrimination of students in the community, according to the organizer GLSEN’s website.
The flag was meant for removal over spring break, Funk said.
The proximity of its removal to the Day of Silence was “never the intention”, Funk explained at the meeting. “I apologize that that happened.”
In its place, a flag honoring DHS as a California Distinguished School was raised, he said.
The Pride flag’s lowering occurred after a Dublin resident expressing issue with its continual presence at DHS during the board’s March 25 meeting. He inquired about the fairness of displaying a flag that he said represents the existence of more than two genders. He asked the question in terms of students, staff and faculty who do not believe in the existence of other genders.
Upon looking at the situation, Funk said the school was in violation of board policy.
Per current district regulation, “commemorative flags” including the Pride flag “may be displayed only by formal resolution” of the board and are flown only at the district office “for a limited period not exceeding 30 days”.
In this case, it was an individual at DHS that decided to fly the flag, Board Vice President Gabi Blackman said.
“They violated the government free speech to make a determination to fly the flag,” Blackman said. “They took it out of our hands and now we’re stuck”
The decision to lower the flag was made after discussion with Board President Kristin Speck, legal counsel and DHS principal Maureen Byrne, Funk said.
During the board meeting, Funk described the importance of a board-led decision as one that protects the district from outside demands.
“This is the ability to keep our forum closed so no third party can demand to have their particular flag flown and that’s what I’m trying to protect the district from,” Funk said.
The crowd later erupted when Trustee Dan Cherrier said, “No one wants to have the Nazi flag flying over our school district; well, I don’t.”
Dublin High visual and performing arts teacher Claire Yackley later responded, “You say you’re trying to protect us from third parties, such as a Nazi flag being asked to fly. And it is so incredibly offensive to compare those.”
Cherrier said he was misunderstood and supports flying the Pride Flag in May.
During the public comment, some students described the harassment they have experienced within the district.
“You have the opportunity to do the right thing and show the entire community that you value and embrace all human life, even lives that may look different from yours,” said Heather Richey, a teacher at Pleasanton’s Foothill High School. “Bring back the flag. Bring back the hope. Bring back the love.”
Dublin High teacher Catie Tombs, who identifies as queer, trans and nonbinary, also pointed out errors in the district’s proposed resolutions.
The resolutions misname the Pride Flag as “rainbow flag” and excludes asexual and intersex communities through the acronym LGBTQ, Tombs said. Additionally, Tombs said “Q” stands for queer not questioning, as it’s described in the resolution.
According to the PFLAG website, “Q” can stand for queer or questioning.
“When you don’t talk to us, a resolution isn’t for us, it’s for you. It’s for absolution,” Tombs added. “Nothing that is done for us should be decided without us.”
Alternative to the two board resolutions on the table, DHS’s Gender Sexuality Alliance submitted its own resolution to the board.
The GSA’s proposed resolution was not included in the agenda packet.
Branning noted that the trustees could substitute the motion with the one from the GSA.
After the comment period, Funk and all the trustees expressed interest in programs to support LGBTQIA+ students, but support for flying the flag year-round was mixed.
Trustees Carolina Martinez and Kristian Reyes supported the edits suggested by Tombs. Further, Martinez said she supports a policy update allowing schools to fly the flag at their discretion. Reyes said he supported the year-round display of the flag this school year and next.
Student representative Ronit Peswani also backed flying the flag year-round.
Speck offered her support for flying the flag at school for 30 days, but was uncertain about further display.
Cherrier voiced support for LGBTQIA+ resources and the flying of the flag in May.
Regarding the display of the flag, Blackman said, “I don’t think you can wrap yourself up in a flag and protect yourself from somebody giving you a slur.” Instead, she expressed support for educating the community to improve student behavior.
The discussion is set to resume at the next board meeting, April 29.
