Make school welcoming

By Arin Haas, Berkeley | Oct. 13, 2023

Regarding “Pride flag fight: Sunol school board refuses to reconsider flag policy” (Bay Area, SFChronicle.com, Oct. 10): The Sunol Glen Unified School District is trying to argue that schools should not be politicized. I would argue that students have to worry about politics every day, especially in the classroom.

Is the school funded equitably? What are the detention rates for students of color compared to white students? Is history being taught accurately? Are there enough safety measures to prepare students for school shooters?

There are more topics of discussion for school board members to concern themselves with than whether or not the Pride flag makes straight students feel excluded.

In fact, a greater conversation could be: Does the Pride flag make queer students feel included and does it make those who are questioning their identity and sexuality feel that school is a safe place for them to explore those questions?

Queer identities exist whether or not you hang the flag.

The issue is whether or not you want to be a school that warmly accepts queer students or makes them feel othered and less than.