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MILTON The Milton school board on Thursday avoided talking about the Black Lives Matter flag that has flown outside the high school for five years. But the board voted to change the flagpole policy to effectively exclude such flags.

After a three-hour long, packed meeting at the high school library, the school board voted 3-2 to allow only the United States and Vermont flags to be flown on district flagpoles.

Whether the Black Lives Matter flag, which still flew Thursday night, will come down right away is, however, unclear.

The policy is now officially enacted, but not a word was spoken about next steps with the BLM flag on the flagpole and the plan for removing it, Superintendent Amy Rex said in an email Friday.

The dissenting votes came from Kumulia Long, the chair of the five-member board, and Jeremy Metcalf. Both expressed concerns about dismissing a student-led democratic process that resulted in the raising of the Black Lives Matter flag in 2019.

A group of students advocated for and followed the required process to create a detailed one-page procedure to have the Black Lives Matter flag flown at Milton High School recognizing that struggle and the work that needs to be done, Metcalf said.

Flags are symbolic. So how do we symbolize that we understand these struggles are happening and theres work to be done and we support that work? he said.

While the flagpole policy has been discussed by the board for a year, the discussion has largely been around the policy itself, rather than specific flags, according to Rex. The Black Lives Matter flag is the only other flag that has flown along with the U.S. and Vermont flags at the high school.

During an October school board meeting, Long, the only Black member on the board, proposed removing student interest flags from the main flagpole and flying just the United States and Vermont flags, in an effort to minimize conflict. He suggested student interest flags could be moved inside the school instead.

However, previous discussions this year have included objections to flying the Black Lives Matter flag on the district flagpole outside the high school, which is not visible from the road. That has in turn led to residents recently protesting on the street outside the high school and sending letters to the board in support of keeping the flag up.

That narrative was carefully avoided at last nights marathon meeting during which members claimed they were focusing on the flag policy and not the flag itself.

So when I look at this as a policy change, Im not looking at it as its taking down the Black Lives Matter flag. Im looking at it as a policy thats not working because we have a division within the community, said board member Scott OBrien.

He claimed that the flag was being flown in perpetuity even though thats what nobody wanted and that the flag policy is flawed because no other group has come up to the school board to fly any flags since.

Rex pointed out that per the previous policy, the board could have requested the flag be taken down at any time, and that nothing in the policy states that another flag had to replace it.

Those who voted in favor of the new policy, incumbent Karen Stout, Allison Duquette and OBrien (both newly elected to the school board) argued that a majority of high students do not support the flag, citing a recent anonymous student-led survey. But two high school representatives on the school board spoke up to correct the record.

Jack Shannon, one of the student representatives, later explained that the survey had nothing to do with the Black Lives Matter flag. Instead, he said, it asked two questions: Are you in favor of a Milton student interest flagpole? If yes, would you utilize the student interest flagpole?

Shannon said 140 students, out of about 460 in the school, responded. Of them, 61 said no, 39 said yes and 40 were neutral to the first question; 90 said no, 16 said yes and 34 were neutral to the second question.

While the board had already voted in January not to have two flagpoles one for the United States and Vermont flags, and one for flags representing student interests that discussion came up again Thursday night.

Some residents suggested flying the Black Lives Matter flag in the school vestibule or on a separate flagpole. One resident said students could apply to fly the flag on the towns flagpole at River Street Park, a more prominent location.

Resident Sean Tatro, who has previously volunteered to pay for a separate flagpole, reupped his offer to do so at Thursdays meeting.

Two teachers Pete Wyndorf and Ellen Taggart reminded the board members that the decision to fly the Black Lives Matter flag was the product of a two-year effort led by the Milton Students for Social Justice group. To take the flag down without student input would be disrespectful, they said.

Lynda Battistoni is a resident new to the flag dispute. She said some students, like her daughter, dont know that there was a time when the flag did not fly there.

I think a lot of this stems from misunderstanding or miscommunication or whatever, about what was really being discussed, she said. I feel like this is the perfect opportunity for a tremendous compromise that should make everyone happy. If it is not about a Black Lives Matter flag, then why do you care if another pole has it?

More than 30 people attended the meeting in person and more than 22 online, with multiple residents speaking for or against flying a Black Lives Matter flag.

Resident Mary Callahan said the Black Lives Matter flag was anti first responders and anti law enforcement and also claimed that its insulting to Black people who are doing better in this country than white people.

Racial disparities in wealth, housing, education persist and remain starkly in favor of white people in America, according to the Brookings Institute.

Another resident, Susan Mcnamara, said, I love Black people. I have nothing against them but I dont think the public would like a white lives matter flag flying, Hispanic, Chinese. Please lets stop dividing this country, this nation, this little town and lets respect everyone, include everyone, by not focusing on one particular race.

Jeremy Metcalfs first name was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.

Read more from the original source:
Amid Black Lives Matter flag debate, Milton school board votes to only fly U.S. and Vermont flags - VTDigger