BEL AIR, Md. — School board members in Harford County are considering a policy which would restrict what kind of flag can fly in a county school.
Flags, according to the proposal, would not be allowed unless they are the American flag, the Maryland flag, the Harford County flag, flags as part of a temporary unit of study within the approved curriculum, flags that denote a recognition of achievement, sports flags, college banners, or other countries' flags as part of a multi-national display.
Supporters, including some on the school board, argue the school community is united under common flags, and others bring in unneeded distractions. Opponents say some flags mean much more than meets the eye.
Members of the school board discussed the policy at a February 26 meeting.
"I think some of these flags are considered political issues," said Diane Alvarez, a board member. "And I think that's part of the problem - it creates division because there are people that support the flags and there are people that don't support the flags. We really need to create an environment where we are not politicizing the students."
"I can't stand behind a policy like this," said Madina Sabirova, the board's student member. "And any board member who does it really just shows you what you're trying to do for our students, because this is clearly not helping us."
"I think this policy is a very important step in accepting all students and staff and representing all students and staff. The United States flag the Maryland flag and the Harford County flag represent and encompass every single student and staff member that attends and works in HCPS," said Melissa Hahn, a board member.
Kurt Doan, a Harford County parent, leads the pro-LGBTQ Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride Foundation. In Bel Air Wednesday, he told WMAR he believes the policy is 'troubling.'
"At the surface, it looks like a pretty innocuous policy," Doan said. "I think my concern is it prevents teachers from displaying flags in the classroom that would help students from underrepresented backgrounds feel included and welcomed."
Doan and other opponents of the proposal contend flags like Pride flags and Black Lives Matter flags serve to make students feel included; supporters of the proposal say the only flags that fly in a school building should represent every student.
A similar flag policy was hotly debated last summer in Anne Arundel County. Supporters and opponents raised largely the same points in that discussion. The policy was ultimately voted down.
READ MORE: Proposed school flag policy voted down in Anne Arundel County
Back in Harford County, the school board will meet on March 18, and at their meeting, folks can discuss it in front of the school board.
