Paso school district debates LGBTQ-plus flags in classrooms 

At a May 23 meeting, a Paso Robles school board member made it clear how he felt about a 2021 incident where local high school students took a Pride flag down from a classroom, defecated on it, and posted video of the incident on social media.

"In my opinion, that [Pride flag incident] was a prank," recently elected Paso Robles Joint Unified School District member Kenney Enney said, adding that he didn't approve of it.

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• File Photo By Malea Martin
• EVERPRESENT ISSUE The Pride flag placement in classrooms has been a fixture of Paso Robles High School discourse since an incident in 2021 that prompted counter-protests from LGBTQ-plus groups.

"I do not think that incident was just a prank," Superintendent Curt Dubost said in response. "I think that was the result of systemic bullying of LGBTQ-plus kids on the campus."

Enney brought up the incident while discussing a future agenda item that would clarify the district's policy on hanging flags in classrooms, including whether flags other than the American flag and California flag should be allowed. Enney has faced backlash in the past over his LGBTQ-plus comments, including a Facebook post commenting on the transgender community that sparked a petition by district voters to oust him from his seat in 2022. In a 2023 special election, voters put him back in that seat.

Dubost stated that getting legal clarification and having a discussion was important before the codifying any policy changes. The board faced backlash following a flag policy change one month after the Pride flag incident in 2021, when the district banned larger banner flags.

Enney told the board that he was concerned about adhering to the U.S. code regarding flag placement rather than the American Legion code that Dubost cited in his proposed policy changes.

"Everybody needs to recognize that the American flag is in the position of first honor," Enney said.

He also questioned why Dubost singled out flags other than the LGBTQ-plus flag as being political and not allowed in classrooms.

"My concern is if you are going to have one, why can't you have them all?" he said. "You specifically called out the thin blue line flag as a political flag. If it is going to be one, it needs to be all."

Dubost clarified that flags like the thin blue line flag involve modifying the American flag, which isn't OK according to the U.S. flag code.

Enney, alongside several parents, questioned why the rainbow Pride flag was hung higher than the American flag in some Paso Robles High School classrooms.

"When I walked through [Paso High School] on Thursday, they had a small American flag and a very large LGBTQ flag," Enney said. "There are also two classrooms where [American flags] are not at the highest."

He emphasized that not having policy that specified wheter a teacher could hang an LGBTQ-plus flag higher than the American flag was a matter of systemic disrespect.

Board trustee Jim Cogan said that he felt the entire discussion was far too long for something so superficial and was taking the board away from topics that had actual impact on the students—citing the frustration he experienced as a parent of two kids enrolled the school district.

"It's almost 11 p.m., and I am wondering why we are having a conversation like this," Cogan said. "I understand having the American flag in a place of honor, but the time spent on this is the kind of superficial stuff that divides us and gets us away from educating our kids." Δ