![new gay pride flag swastika new gay pride flag swastika](https://s31242.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/john-carpay3-1024x526.jpg)
#New gay pride flag swastika update#
One update to the petition contains a video from January 28 in which Principal Singh can be seen popping rainbow balloons that were delivered to the lobby of the school along with a card that says “Gay is Ok.” A petition started by another member of the school’s community demanding that the district remove Singh and Scott from their positions alleges that the artwork incident “is only the latest report of discrimination by the administrators at the Athens elementary school.” She also organized a “Rainbow Chalk Day” at the elementary school for students and parents to gather outside last Saturday. Mays says teachers and other students at the school have rallied in support of the student this week by wearing something rainbow colored every day. I mean, it’s almost like you have to, like, take out a billboard, just to get a response on some of this stuff,” she added.
![new gay pride flag swastika new gay pride flag swastika](https://www.mvtimes.com/mvt/uploads/2021/06/Flags-pride-WT-town-hall.jpg)
Mays says she has made repeated attempts to get more meaningful answers, like “filing open records requests or CC’ing literally every board member or person in the district office.” “You know, if you really care about the LGBTQ community, doing better requires accountability for harm,” she told Hyperallergic in an interview. “Again, we have to agree to disagree,” Singh responds, adding that “history is different,” and suggesting at the end of the conversation that the teacher should “research that.”įor some parents like Jami Mays, a longtime Athens resident with a kindergartner at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary, the statement released by Acting Superintendent Gaskins rang hollow and felt “infuriating.” “But I mean, at the end of the day, you think of swastika and that’s what you think of, like Nazis – and genocide,” the teacher says. “The comparison between the flags and the swastika I think was an extremely ignorant comment, because they are just very widely different,” the teacher tells Singh, who responds that “the history of the swastika is different than the history most people know.” The teacher eventually agrees, but notes there are “several parents that are trans,” adding that “just because somebody’s uncomfortable doesn’t mean that you need to hide who you are.”ĭuring the meeting with Singh, the teacher also took issue with Scott’s reported invocation of a Nazi symbol. In it, Principal Singh expresses concern about the artwork, saying that “children are going home and asking questions to parents who are…not ready to have that conversation at this age,” and asks the teacher to move the artwork to a more “private” place. The recording, in which the teacher’s voice was disguised to protect their identity, was uploaded to YouTube by Jackson and made public along with a transcript. The statement also notes the drawing was removed out of a parent’s concern for “its potential to become a source of bullying of her child.”īut a leaked audio recording of another meeting the next day between Principal Singh and the teacher has prompted further questions about the school’s commitment to building a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students. “This silencing of student expression is inconsistent with freedom of expression principles and violates the public school’s First Amendment obligations,” NCAC’s letter says.Ī representative from the Clarke County School District has not responded to Hyperallergic’s request for comment. In a statement issued by District Acting Superintendent Brannon Gaskins, he acknowledges that the situation “could have been handled with more care, thought, and attention” but disagrees that the staff member who referenced the Nazi symbol should be disciplined. The incident has prompted widespread calls for accountability from the school district, including a letter issued by National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) urging the administrators to apologize and restore the artwork.