MARBLEHEAD — After quite some time, the School Committee has performed a first reading of the drafted flag policy, which cannot be voted on until three readings have been completed.
The most recent version of this policy added a sentence that states that the superintendent will be the person to recommend any proposed flags or banners to the School Committee. It is expected that the policy will continue being updated throughout the next readings.
One change the School Committee hopes to make prior to the second reading of this policy is to add the words “affixed to” when discussing flags and banners on school property to ensure that any flags or banners that are on someone’s person or in their hands do not count.
“By adding the word ‘affixed,’ that does not preclude someone from wearing a shirt, wearing a button, having (a) car bumper sticker, because that is not affixed to the property that is under the care, custody and control of the School Committee,” said Sarah Fox, School Committee member.
This concept was particularly of interest to Angus McQuilken, who pointed out that if Marblehead High School is to be a polling location this June — which was approved last Thursday — there are bound to be handheld flags brought onto school grounds that cannot be policed.
“You cannot constitutionally say that people who are going to hold signs within 150 feet of the door, which is on school grounds, have to have those signs approved by the School Committee,” he said. “We have Town Meeting in a school building. You cannot tell people that they cannot stand outside of Town Meeting and hold a sign of their choice to express a message of their choosing without approval by the School Committee.”
It would also address a point that Glover School Teacher Diane Gora brought up during public comment. She said she feels that this drafted policy “undermines teachers’ rights to be free from censorship in their classrooms.”
“Just last week, we had a fundraiser at Glover School, and one of the things we did was create classroom flags for each classroom,” she said, showing three different flags that were created by the students.
School Committee Chair Jenn Shaeffner made sure to point out that by adding the word “affixed,” teachers like Gora could continue teaching their students with classroom exercises that involve flags, like the ones she showed.
Community member Karen Tal-Makhluf shared a point of support for the flag policy that has not been touched on recently. She wore an Israeli flag to this School Committee meeting to remind everyone that an Israeli flag once hung in the high school, but it was removed. She said she is yet to hear any calls from people opposed to this flag policy to return the Israeli flag to school.
“Why is that? Could it be that some groups feel more deserving than others who have symbols on display? While I can’t speculate on their motivation, I can share my perspective,” she said. “I support a policy that promotes school neutrality, and that is the only way of making a truly welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, not just the ones who feel comfortable speaking out on these issues.”
There was also a comment made about how the policy’s opening sentence regarding third party requests should be moved to the bullet point section, a change that should be made prior to the next policy reading.
Superintendent John Robidoux said he wanted to ensure that there is a “clear path” on how he, as the School Committee’s “agent,” would bring recommendations to the committee, and it’s likely that will be addressed during the next flag policy reading as well.
