Edmond superintendent responds to controversy, protests over flag display

Just about a week after a controversy involving the American flag exploded at Edmond North High School, the district's superintendent addressed the issue in an email to parents, students and staff but didn't pledge to change the district's stance regarding the display of flags.

Edmond Superintendent Angela Grunewald said in an email Friday that the district’s top priority was to provide a safe learning environment for students and staff members. “That includes working to limit any potential distractions from the learning that is occurring in thousands of Edmond classrooms all across the district,” she wrote in an email obtained by The Oklahoman.

The controversy over students' display of U.S. flags was sparked by a viral social media post last week. Caleb Horst, a senior at the school, complained that school officials would not allow him or other students to fly the flag on their vehicles on school property. A short time later, students and some members of the community staged a protest about the issue.

The fight over the flag also sparked a letter from four Edmond-area lawmakers and criticism from state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters. The lawmakers' letter, hand-delivered to the school, urged administrators to rethink their position on student displays of the American flag.

Walters posted messages on social media criticizing the school and vowing “an investigation” by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, which he leads. He also sent a series of “guidelines on patriotic displays” to Oklahoma school districts Thursday, though his authority to enforce them is unclear.

Flag policy developed in 2017 in response to several incidents at Edmond high schools

In her email, Grunewald noted that the district’s current practices regarding students' display of flags were "developed in 2017 as a result of several incidents, including fights and other aggressive behavior, at our Edmond high schools where the American flag was being displayed improperly and grossly disrespected.”

“In response to those incidents, the district gathered administrators and students from each high school to find a constructive way forward,” Grunewald wrote. “Those conversations led to the practice of not allowing any flags in our school parking lots and stadiums, thus reducing the disruptive and sometimes violent behavior and eliminating the possibility of the U.S. flag being disrespected or used inappropriately.”

Grunewald wrote that she believed the district’s current practices were “largely in line with these new guidelines” issued by Walters, which cover the display of flags and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

“We will begin working on a policy that can accomplish both safety and respect for the flag,” she wrote. “That policy development process will include advice from organizations with a long, existing history of honoring the flag.”

Her email arrived a week after Rep. Adam Pugh and three other local Republican lawmakers sent a letter asking Gruenwald to reconsider her position completely, but adding they understood "that there may be concerns regarding the display of symbols on school property, particularly when it involves student vehicles."

"The American flag is a powerful symbol of our nation's history, values, and the freedoms we cherish. It represents unity, sacrifice and the shared ideals that bind us together as Americans," the lawmakers' letter said. "In the case of the student who chose to display the American flag on his truck, it is important to recognize his actions as an expression of patriotism and personal belief."

Grunewald noted in her email that the district “is proudly patriotic.”

“We fly the American flag in front of each of our schools properly during each school day,” she wrote. “There are American flags in each of our classrooms. Our students and staff members recite the Pledge every day. One of our strongest and proudest traditions is our JROTC program at Edmond North High School and we take great pride when our cadets present the colors at many of our events.”

Contributing:Linda Lynn, of The Oklahoman

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Edmond Public Schools superintendent responds to controversy over flag