Opinion: It’s time for a ‘One Flag Policy’ at Paso Robles schools
– Today I look at the threats that our nation faces from within and without and I wonder if the light of freedom that has been entrusted to us by the Founding Fathers will go out forever under our watch.
The love of country; that thread of patriotism that has stitched together Black Americans and white Americans, Christian Americans and Jewish Americans, Latino Americans and Anglo Americans into one people is no longer taught in our schools. “Patriotism” is now seen as a “hate” word and “patriots” are seen as “right-wing extremists.”
We no longer instill in our children a unifying collective pride in our country, but instead, we teach the divisive message of victimhood that pits one group against another. We no longer teach about the glories of our Constitution, our Republic, and the duties of citizenship. This failure is painfully evident today – only 13% of high school students meet national standards in U.S. history, only 22% meet standards in U.S. civics, and only 33% of adult Americans can pass the citizenship test that is required for an immigrant to become an American.
There is a crisis of confidence in all levels of government from the local school board to the Office of the President. Although our motto is “E pluribus unum” – Out of Many One – in the age of identity politics, we no longer have a sense of a shared identity or history. We celebrate individualism more than community. Our tribal flags are more revered than the American flag. Our motto for the 21st century is now “Ex uno multis”- Out of One Many – and as a result, the fabric of our nation is being ripped apart.
We are a nation and a community divided, constantly bombarded by the media with stories about the “evils” of the other side and the “threat” that they pose to your way of life or my way of life. Our schools have become the frontline for the “culture wars” as opposing forces vie for control of the minds of the next generation. As a school board trustee, this past year I have been discouraged by the fact that several board members, the former superintendent, and school administrators have made country and citizenship an afterthought in the education of our children. I would have never expected to have to argue with progressive board members and staff to present a resolution honoring Memorial Day, or Constitution Day, or Veterans Day. I would never have expected that it would be acceptable in the eyes of progressive administrators and board members to have the American flag take a back seat to various political or social cause flags. I would never have expected that board members would knowingly leave in place policies that actively violate the rights of some in order to appease a vocal fringe minority.
On Oct. 22, 2021, Curt Dubost unilaterally released “Updated Flag Standards.” The intent was to “ensure that hate speech and bullying conduct [did] not create an unsafe campus environment.” It outlined the rights to free speech for both students and faculty on school property. The display of flags and banners in the classrooms fell primarily under teachers’ rights. Based on what was then current Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) law, the memo stated “Courts have consistently held that when teachers make statements, advocate for particular points of view, and/or post specific items on walls or bulletin boards-they are acting pursuant to their official duties and their speech is not protected under the First Amendment.” Therefore, “in the classroom, teachers act on behalf of the district and are expected to follow the adopted curriculum. In leading or guiding discussions about issues that may be controversial, a teacher may not advocate his/her personal opinion or viewpoint… the teacher is supposed to take a neutral position on controversial issues”. The memo went on to give “practical examples of what a teacher cannot display in the classroom or in the teachers’ background (the virtual classroom): -Signs, banners, etc. supporting a political candidate/party/state proposition; -Signs, banners, etc. supporting social causes (e.g. BLM, thin blue line, etc.); -Flags (the US and California flags can always be shown because they are part of the standard furnishings; other flags are subject to a case by case analysis and should not be posted if to promote an idea or viewpoint); Signs or banners that promote a religious viewpoint.”
In May 2022, seven months after this memo was released, SCOTUS ruled 9-0 in favor of Mr. Hal Shurtleff, a Christian. His group had applied to have the city of Boston fly a Christian flag over City Hall on Constitution Day in 2017. Under the application process, Boston had routinely allowed LGBTQ and other social issue groups to fly their flags 284 times but denied Mr. Shurtleff and his Christian group the right to fly their flag. The end result of the decision was that if a government entity is going to let one group fly their flag, then all groups must be allowed to fly theirs.
When I joined the school board in May 2023, LGBTQ flags outnumbered the American flags displayed in the high school. Although the district did take the necessary steps to ensure new American flags were displayed in every classroom, flags and banners of certain groups, like the pro law enforcement “thin blue line” flag, remained prohibited. Although the former superintendent and the PRJUSD Board of Trustees were/are aware that this was likely a discriminatory act, the progressive majority refused – and still refuses – to allow the issue before the board for a vote. At a minimum, the policy should be re-written to either allow all groups: good; bad; popular; unpopular, to fly their flags, or only allow the American and California flags to be displayed.
With the nation as divided as it is following the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump on July 13, I believe now is the time to start repairing the damaged fabric of our Republic and community by having a “One Flag” policy in our schools. It has been 20 years since I was deployed in Fallujah, Iraq. On July 4, 2004, three young Marines were killed in an ambush just outside of the town. I was a passenger in CH-46E Sea Knight flying back to Fallujah from a meeting in Baghdad when the crew chief told us that our helicopter was being diverted for an emergency evacuation. Within a few minutes, we had landed in a field and three stretchers were loaded into the back of the aircraft. On those stretchers were three lifeless casualty evacuation bags; “body bags”. Upon each bag was pinned a small American flag.
During the short flight to Fallujah, I prayed for them and their families. It never crossed my mind as to whether they were black, white, or brown. It never crossed my mind as to whether they were straight or gay. It never crossed my mind as to whether they were Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. It never crossed my mind as to whether they were Democrat or Republican. None of that mattered. What mattered was that they were brave United States Marines who had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and each one laid beneath the American flag.
As we celebrate our Republic’s 248th birthday this month, we should remember Ronald Reagan’s famous quote “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” Contact your school board and ask for a “One Flag” policy.
Kenney Enney is a Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board member and resident of San Miguel.
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