Calling all Patriots!

Let's review: what's wrong with banning flags from Temecula classrooms and school sites?

Feb 28, 2024

For this post we’re going back in time to take a look at a policy the Temecula Valley Unified School District Governing Board passed last September. (In the next few weeks we’ll catch up with some of these policies we’ve been concerned about but haven’t commented on before.)

At their September 12, 2023 meeting, Board President Komrosky introduced changes to TVUSD Administrative Regulation (AR) 6115 on Ceremonies and Observances.

This AR lists holidays when schools are closed, says that certain days should be commemorated and that students should recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day, and states the standard rules for displaying the U.S. and state flags at school sites (like the U.S. flag is always on top and can’t be flown at night unless illuminated).

Komrosky’s proposed change was to add the following text:

No flag other than the United States of America and State of California may be displayed on school grounds, including classrooms, unless it is a country, state, or United States military flag used solely for educational purposes within the adopted curriculum. Any other flag must be approved by the Superintendent or designee prior to displaying if, and only if, it is used for educational purposes and only during the related instructional period [sic]

The change abruptly appeared on the agenda published three days before the meeting and seemed odd to most people. The board had never discussed any need to limit flags, and to our knowledge an abundance of flags had never been an issue in Temecula schools.

So why ban flags?

The agenda stated Komrosky’s rationale for the change: “It is not the intent of the Board of Education to deprive any person of his or her right to freedom of expression. The intent of this regulation is to maintain a safe and orderly workplace for teachers, students, administrators, staff, parents/guardians and other members of the community. The revisions to this Administrative Regulation update the District’s emphasis on promoting patriotic observances, particularly as they relate to the flag of the United States of America.”

Let’s unpack that rationale.

First, the part about not depriving anyone of the right to free expression. It’s always interesting when someone says, “It’s not my intent to…” and then turns around and does exactly that thing. That’s the case here. If a teacher can’t express their enthusiasm for the San Diego Padres by hanging a Padres pennant, or their love for their alma mater with a UCLA or Julliard School flag—well, that does limit their freedom of expression.

Next, a “safe and orderly workplace.” Were flags blocking exits or cluttering up classrooms? Were students tripping over them in the halls or principals having to brush them aside to enter the office? We doubt it.

And finally, the “emphasis on promoting patriotic observances, particularly as they relate to the flag of the United States of America.” Clearly President Komrosky wanted to focus on this. Even his attire was designed to illustrate patriotism: instead of his usual t-shirt or open-collared shirt, he appeared at this meeting in a blue suit, white shirt, and red tie.

Audience comments

A lot of people attended this meeting, many of whom we hadn’t seen before, and one whole side of the room seemed also to be wearing red-white-blue clothing, red shirts and hats, or clothes printed with the U.S. flag. But these people knew what the change to the AR really meant, as did the unusual number of reporters in the audience. Speakers made it clear in their comments on the agenda item (beginning at 53:17 in the Sept 12th meeting video). The real focus of the AR change was not American flags. It was rainbow flags.

One person was concerned about “flags or symbols that represent behaviors that threaten family social norms.”
A parent said, “It makes me so upset…that I have to go to my child's school and see a rainbow flag hung on a wall.”
Many others spoke similarly.
In contrast, another parent (and veteran) asked, “How delicate is your sense of democracy that it's threatened by a pride flag?”

Several comments from the public (and trustees) pointed out all the normal school flags that would have to be taken down or require special permission under this policy:

Banners on school property for advertising and promotions, including Science Olympiad, job fairs, business supporters, and fundraising efforts
College flags and sports team flags in classrooms and counselors’ offices
School spirit pennants
Student achievement banners and CIF championship banners in the gym
High school marching band flags at halftime

Board comments

This list of all the flags they were banning didn’t faze the “conservative” board majority of Komrosky, Wiersma, and Gonzalez. Trustee Gonzalez said that the ban was good because it would avoid promoting politics, that if you allow a rainbow flag you have to allow a Christian flag, and, “If you’re gonna hang a Black Lives Matter flag up in that corner, you damn well better hang a MAGA flag up next to it.” His view that a pride flag and a Christian flag somehow represent opposite political viewpoints is revealing, to say the least. Many Christians would not agree and do not see their faith as “political.” Also revealing is his contrast of BLM and MAGA flags.

Trustee Wiersma said it’s important to define the word flag to make sure posters are included. She provided this definition, which she said was suggested by attorneys: “A flag is defined as a piece of material of distinct color and design used as a symbol, standard, signal, or emblem.” We see “a piece of material” as essentially meaningless, since material is defined as “The substance or substances out of which a thing is or can be made.” (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition) So under this definition, a “flag” can be anything at all. Is any depiction of a rainbow now classified as a pride flag? We hope first graders won’t be barred from drawing rainbows in the classroom.

Trustee Barclay asked Komrosky what his goal was in making this change to the regulation. He refused to answer her but later (starting at about 1:44:50 in the meeting video) spoke at length about patriotism and the importance of honoring the U.S. flag. He stated that there are classrooms that are missing flags and asked what the students were pledging allegiance to—the wall? He said we need this regulation, that he visited a school site and “there was [sic] at least ten classrooms that had no flags. My concern is that I want to instruct the superintendent to add flags to every classroom.”

Trustee Barclay noted that if Komrosky’s purpose was to make sure there’s a flag in every classroom, everyone would support that; but he hadn’t added that statement to the AR. She also noted that a federal holiday, Juneteenth, was missing from the holiday list. Trustee Gonzalez asked that the regulation be referred to a subcommittee to work with staff, add the missing items, and then bring it back for a vote.

But President Komrosky was not interested in any delay, even to add what he claimed was his only goal—requiring a U.S. flag in every classroom.

Gonzalez finally agreed to the regulation if the board would delete the end of the last sentence, beginning with “if and only if…” The board voted 3-2 (Barclay and Schwartz voting no) to add Wiersma’s definition and delete that last clause. The vote was taken at 2:15:00 in the video.

What does the AR say now?

Curiously, as finally revised, AR 6115 doesn’t even follow what the board argued about for over an hour and finally voted on. Instead, it now uses a different and self-referential definition of flag, keeps the phrase about educational purposes that they agreed to remove, and hints—but doesn’t state—that certain types of flags can be displayed without prior approval “as part of the college and career program” (where and when are not defined).

The missing holiday was added.

Remarkably, the AR still does not require a U.S. flag in every classroom.
Here’s the current text:

A Flag is defined as a display representing a flag of distinct color and design used as a symbol, standard, signal, or emblem.

No flag other than the United States of America and State of California may be displayed on school grounds, including classrooms, unless it is a country, state, or United States military flag used solely for educational purposes within the adopted curriculum. Any other flag must be approved by the Superintendent or designee prior to displaying, if and only if, it is used for educational purposes and only during the related instructional period.

Flags of higher education institutions, school flags, pennants, and awards representing academic and extracurricular awards shall be permitted as part of the college and career program.