Symbols in the Classroom: When Inclusion Becomes a Question of Fairness

The Rise of Symbolic Displays in Schools

In recent years, public schools across Vermont—and the nation—have increasingly embraced symbolic displays intended to affirm and support marginalized groups. The most visible of these is the Pride flag, flown in classrooms and on school flagpoles during June or year-round, often at the urging of student groups or local advocacy organizations. Supporters say it sends a message of belonging and safety for LGBTQ+ students. But a growing number of Vermonters are asking: What message does it send to everyone else?

Government Neutrality in a Pluralistic Society

At the heart of this discussion lies a genuine question about government neutrality and ideological fairness in public spaces. If public schools are meant to serve every student regardless of background, belief, or identity, then what happens when one symbol is elevated—and others are left out? What happens when the same institutions that prohibit religious symbols or political slogans embrace those tied to specific cultural movements?

When Inclusion Becomes Selective

Vermont doesn’t have a statewide law mandating or prohibiting the display of identity-based flags in public schools. Instead, districts set their own policies. Champlain Valley School District, for example, requires that flags flown on school property be requested by officially recognized student groups and tied to the district’s mission of “growth and belonging.” At face value, this sounds inclusive. But does it assume a shared definition of what inclusion looks like?

One potential flaw in the current approach is that symbolic inclusion can create real exclusion. If a school flies a Pride flag but declines to fly a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, or a Christian cross, or a Thin Blue Line flag, does it appear to favor some worldviews over others? Does it risk presenting public education not as a neutral civic institution, but as a platform for particular ideologies?

Tolerance Without Endorsement

This is not an argument against LGBTQ+ rights or against the right of students to live free from bullying, harassment, or discrimination. The question is more fundamental: Should government-run schools be endorsing any lifestyle, belief system, or cultural identity through symbolic displays at all?

Legally, this falls into murky territory. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that schools must not promote religious beliefs, yet they must also protect students’ rights to free expression. Under Vermont law, schools are required to provide a safe, respectful environment. But that doesn’t clarify whether a Pride flag constitutes a necessary safety measure or a political endorsement.

Discomfort Is Not One-Sided

Intent matters—but so does perception. A student who believes in traditional values about gender and sexuality may feel alienated or even silenced in a classroom where the Pride flag is institutionally sanctioned. Is their discomfort less valid? If so, on what basis?

And what about the inverse? Would a school allow a student group to fly a pro-life flag or one symbolizing religious conservatism? If the answer is no, then what principle determines which identities deserve symbolic representation? Is it popularity, historical oppression, political momentum, or something else?

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Protected Classes, Unequal Treatment?

The concept of “protected classes” is often invoked to explain these decisions. But this too raises questions. Equal protection under the law, as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, is supposed to apply to everyone, not just to those in designated groups. While laws may enhance penalties for crimes motivated by hate against protected classes, does that logic translate into privileged access to symbolic space in public schools?

Disagreement Is Not Hatred

There’s also a deeper cultural trend at work: conflating disagreement with hate. It’s increasingly common to hear that anyone who opposes pride displays is promoting bigotry. But is that always the case? Can someone respect an individual’s right to live as they choose while declining to affirm the ideology associated with it? Is disagreement no longer allowed in the name of tolerance?

Some will say: the Pride flag isn’t political—it’s just about human dignity. But that, too, is a matter of perspective. The flag carries embedded assumptions about identity, morality, and the nature of gender and sexuality. Many Vermonters, including parents and educators, may see it not just as a celebration, but as an assertion of beliefs they do not share.

A Path Toward Civic Fairness

Is it fair to assume that all who walk through a public school door must affirm those beliefs—or remain silent if they do not?

None of these questions have easy answers. But they deserve to be asked without fear of labels or assumptions. If we want schools to be truly inclusive, perhaps we should start by asking what that word actually means. Is inclusion about embracing every belief, or just the ones deemed acceptable by the current cultural moment?

If schools are to remain places of learning, growth, and civic unity, maybe the cleanest path is the one least traveled: ideological neutrality. American and Vermont flags represent our shared legal and civic foundations. Perhaps that’s enough. Perhaps the best way to ensure that every student feels welcome is to fly only the symbols that unite us all—and leave space for discussion, not declaration, about everything else.

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Dave Soulia | FYIVT

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