News

Jun 04, 2023

Attorney to review Arrowhead's proposed 'divisive propaganda' policy

A controversial policy that would prohibit "flags, signs and divisive

A controversial policy that would prohibit "flags, signs and divisive propaganda" at Arrowhead Union High School did not advance Thursday beyond the policy committee to the full board. But it isn't a dead issue, either.

Instead, the committee asked the district's legal counsel to review the policy and administrators to reach out to other districts with similar policies.

The decision came at an early morning meeting June 8 in a board room crowded with spectators. There was no public comment allowed. The board's discussion of the proposed policy lasted nearly 1½ hours.

The decision means the committee will wait for a legal review of the proposal and may seek legal advice at a meeting tentatively scheduled for June 20, depending on the attorney's availability.

In the meantime, the district's administration will reach out to the Waukesha, Kettle Moraine and Muskego-Norway school districts, which all have similar policies, to ask about policy implementation around bullying and disciplinary issues, First Amendment issues, student and staff reaction, their impact on staffing retention and any legal challenges.

Arrowhead's proposed policy seeks "to create safe, even, and fair environments for the academic achievement of all students" by prohibiting signs or other words implying certain areas are "safe spaces" because "all areas of AHS are, and should be considered safe spaces."

The policy would also ban flags, signs, stickers or similar display items "denoting a division of race, ideology, sexual orientation, gender preference or political affiliations" from being displayed on school grounds.

With the exception of the American flag, the Wisconsin state flag and flags specific to a foreign language being taught in a particular room, the policy would ban "flags of any kind," as well as signs such as Black Lives Matter "or anything denoting one specific race," along with "anti racist classroom notations, rainbows or any signage of any type promoting a sexual or gender preference, political signage promoting one party or candidate over another."

Student attire or student-owned items or vehicles are not included in the policy as long as clothing does not conflict with the school's dress code.

Arrowhead School Board Vice President Chris Farris favors the policy. "This policy really supports what Arrowhead is all about, one team. We are one team," he said. "There's no division between genders, sexes, races, anything. We are one team, and this is what this is all about, trying to continue to look at ourselves as one group and one team."

School Board President Kim Schubert also supported the policy. "If we can eliminate some of the confusion and we start fresh and can let the kids know that the entire space is safe, that every teacher has always promoted safety in their classroom, that you can go to any teacher and bond with that teacher just like I used to do a long time ago when I was in school. It seemed to have worked without all the props. That's where I'd like to go. Let's take away the confusion," she said.

But school board member Craig Thompson opposed the policy, saying it is too vaguely worded.

To make his point, he showed an American flag sticker, a cross, a "Don't Tread On Me" paperweight, a Green Bay Packers pennant and pictures of variations of Green Bay Packers flags. He said that, under the policy, one of the Packers flags would be allowed because of its resemblance to an American flag, while the other would be prohibited. Thompson said he was "attempting to point out the probable confusion and contradictions inherent in adopting this policy" by displaying the items.

"These are symbols. All of them are symbols, and we need to understand each other, and the only way we're going to understand each other is to have a healthy, robust discussion. That's the American way," he said. "The American way is not banning stuff."

School board member Tim Langer also opposed the policy, saying it would be "almost impossible to say what it does include and what it doesn't." He also talked about the vulnerability of the school's LGBTQ population to bullying and the importance of those students having a teacher to go to for support.

"I would proceed with great caution before we start attempting to set hard and fast rules that at their very first level restrict the ability of our staff to be compassionate, well-informed human beings," Langer said.

Arrowhead freshman Chase Eastman started a petition opposing the policy. Eastman is a gay member of the school's Gender Sexuality Alliance. He said he and classmate Cat Cummings, also a member of the GSA, were frustrated and wanted to know why the board would ban safe space stickers.

"I know those stickers have been a big help for me when I was being bullied for being part of the (LGBTQ) community. I wouldn't go up to any of the teachers that didn't have those stickers because I knew they might not be the best of person to talk to and I went to some other teachers that dealt with it appropriately," said Eastman in a June 7 phone interview.

Cummings, who uses they/she pronouns, said they thought the policy was appalling and unacceptable.

"It's stifling our right to express ourselves and it's making us feel like we need to hide, we need to shelter the world from who we are as people. The name of the policy goes along with that because it says 'divisive propaganda,'" Cummings said before the meeting. "We're not trying to spread gayness onto anybody. We're just trying to exist and be who we are as people."

Jason Cummings, Cat's father, said he was proud of his child for expressing confidence in themselves. He also opposed the policy.

"To think the Arrowhead School Board would outright attack the (LGBTQ) community, I think is just appalling," he said before the meeting.

A. Craven, who just graduated from Arrowhead, was worried about the impact of the policy.

"While I'm no longer attending Arrowhead as of last weekend, the issue extends far beyond me. It's an issue of equality and fair treatment of students," Craven said after the meeting.

Parent John Norcross said it was a "bad policy," unnecessary and "badly written." He also questioned the timing of the meeting, saying it was held the same week as final exams for students.

"The administration is fully capable of regulating divisive symbols, etc. We have student food and home insecurity. We have buildings and infrastructure that need maintenance. There are protections for vulnerable kids and students in communities that aren't included in (that) policy that should be. You've got teacher attraction and retention. We should make the world easier. I could go through a very long list of things you could get to before you get to this one," Norcross said after the meeting.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.