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Pride Month


NJ SCHOOL ORDERS PRIDE SIGN REMOVED FROM GROUNDS, SPARKING HEATED CONTROVERSY

BY CHRIS JOSE • PUBLISHED JUNE 2, 2023 • UPDATED ON JUNE 3, 2023 AT 7:00 AM


NBC Universal, Inc.

NBC New York’s Chris Jose reports.

Just as Pride Month begins, there's an uproar in a New Jersey borough after the
district superintendent ordered a Pride lawn sign removed from school grounds.

The controversy centers on Westwood Regional Middle School in Westwood, a town
where the LGBTQ signs depicting the Pride flag are displayed outside of homes.
But around the corner at the school, the same signs were ordered to be taken
down just a day after it was placed on the lawn.

"This is something that’s real, it’s something that’s OK," said high school
senior MacKenzie Fox. "Just to have a sign out there tells us this is a safe
space. That we do belong and our sexuality and our gender, whatever it is, is
valid."

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Fox is a student representative to the school board. She started an online
petition asking the superintendent to bring back the sign and allow it on school
grounds.

"I know I have the support of my teachers, students and classmates, I just wish
the administration would do the same," said Fox.

So far, more than 1,000 people have signed the petition. Fox says the lawn sign
was placed outside the middle school last week in preparation for Pride Month.

"He had told them the signs violated the flag policy and he has been the one to
tell the principal to take them down," Fox said.

As pride month kicks off, some big corporations are finding themselves at the
center of controversy when it comes to their support of the LQBTQ community.
Rana Novini reports.

Last month, Westwood’s Board of Education passed a policy only allowing the
American and New Jersey state flag to be displayed outside of schools. The
policy does not prevent Pride flags from being displayed inside — as evidenced
by multiple Pride flags being seen hanging on school windows on Friday.

Michael Pontillo, Westwood School Board President commented on the decision
limiting what flags can be displayed last month during a board meeting.

"Nobody is up here saying to a principal ‘No, that flag will not fly in the
school.’ Last year, there were flags all over the school and there’s nobody
that’s going to prevent that from happening again this year," said Pontillo.

When reached, Interim Superintendent Kenneth Rota did not comment. The new
policy doesn’t address banners or signs outside, but Fox told NBC New York that
the superintendent told her a sign which depicts a flag falls in the same
category.

"Lawn signs are not flags and it should not apply at all," Fox said.

The school board president told NBC New York over the phone that he deferred all
questions to the superintendent for comment.

Read More

THIS ARTICLE TAGGED UNDER:

Pride MonthNew JerseySchools



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