MIAMI (WSVN) - Miami-Dade School Board members are discussing a controversial classroom proposal, and it’s created what you might call a “flag flap.”
It may be patriotic or political, but on Wednesday the Miami-Dade School Board is set to discuss a controversial move to only allow the American and Florida flag in classrooms and on campus.
“You will never understand the sigh of relief when you step into a classroom and see a rainbow or Cuban flag, so you can focus more on calculating derivatives and cosigns than the probability of your teacher drawing a line in the sand when you are being mocked and ridiculed,” said a male speaker.
“As written, item H7 in it’s entirety blatantly fails as far as its rational, lack of need, lack of good governance and of course it’s potential to discriminate against federally protected classes and students,” said a female speaker.
The policy is sponsored by newly elected board member Roberto Alonso.
According to the policy, it seeks to “ensure that the American flag and the official motto of the State of Florida are displayed … outside each school and inside each classroom … afford instructional flexibility in the display of flags in the classroom where appropriate per curriculum.”
Although this would prohibit any flag that “promotes a political issue, political party and political candidates.”
“But let’s not pretend this is only about national pride because we know what this is about,” said another female speaker. “We see what you have been doing, we get it. This is a targeted effort against the LGTBQ+ community. This is hate.”
The policy is a bit vague as it’s written, prompting questions like who would decide and what flag would be appropriate. Is a Latin American country’s flag allowed during Hispanic Heritage Month? What about a U.S. military flag or even a foreign country’s flag in a history or language class?
Last month, community push back led to the withdrawal of this item.
“You will never understand the impact that a piece of fabric has on a kid that is trying to decide on finishing their science project or making an irreversible decision when they get home today. You will never, ever understand,” said the male speaker.
The Teachers Union and United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez Mats said in a statement, “… the essence of this item seems less patriotic and more political as it attempts to further polarize our classrooms. We wish that board members focused on real academic issues like over-testing, the lack of substitute teachers, and the growing concern over teacher shortages …”
Public comment as well as diased discussion has been going on for about an hour.
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