BYRON, Minn. — A teacher in southeastern Minnesota has been asked by high school administrators to remove a Ukrainian flag from her classroom, a flag her students asked her to display as a show of solidarity for the war-torn country.
Byron Public Schools Superintendent Mike Neubeck says district lawyers are reviewing the school system’s policy covering what can be displayed in classrooms. He said he’s concerned that allowing teachers to hang the Ukrainian flag now could be a problem in the future.
"This practice can open the door for other groups to request their flags also to be hung in schools," Neubeck told KARE 11's Jana Shortal in an emailed statement on the flag issue. "Our goal is to educate students and allow them to use critical thinking skills to make informed decisions. We do not want our teachers to avoid any conversations regarding these events, but we are requiring that flags are not to be put up in our classrooms at this time."
The co-president of the local teacher’s union, Justin Blom, said in the context of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, displaying the flag isn’t political.
“Is this a political and a partisan issue? It’s not,” he said. “The U.S. Senate unanimously declared Vladimir Putin a war criminal. You know, how unified can you get when the U.S. Senate actually agrees on something?”
Blom says displaying the flag is one way for kids to identify and talk about bullying, KARE news partner Minnesota Public Radio News reported.
“We teach our kids to be upstanders and not bystanders, to stand up to bullies in support of those students who are themselves bullied. And the biggest bully right now in the world is Vladimir Putin,” he said.
Neubeck said that teachers are being encouraged to talk about the war in Ukraine in the classrooms, and answer student questions.
You can read the superintendent's entire statement on the issue below.
The Byron School Board continues to look into this issue of posting Ukrainian flags in classrooms. We have received communications from our lawyers and our Board is working through their recommendations which includes not allowing flags to be hung in school. This practice can open the door for other groups to request their flags also to be hung in schools. However, the Board supports teachers having discussions regarding the events happening in Ukraine and use these events to teach about social justice and how students can get involved if they choose. Our goal is to educate students and allow them to use critical thinking skills to make informed decisions. We do not want our teachers to avoid any conversations regarding these events, but we are requiring that flags are not to be put up in our classrooms at this time. The school board will continue to review the policy over the next couple of weeks.
Dr. Mike Neubeck
Watch more Breaking The News:
Watch all of the latest stories from Breaking The News in our YouTube playlist: