CHESTERTON, Ind. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Students spoke out Monday night against the removal of LGBTQ pride flags at a middle school in Northwest Indiana.
Students addressed the Duneland School Corporation board in Chesterton, Indiana, after teachers at Chesterton Middle School were told to remove the rainbow LGBTQ pride flags from classrooms.
Dozens of students walked out of class last week in response to the order; and on Monday night, there was a show of force by students and parents before and during the school board meeting.
Cecilia Post, 13, a seventh grader at Chesterton Middle School, addressed the board by reading a letter to the principal of the school, taking issue with claims that the pride flags were “disruptive."
"First and foremost, if a teacher puts something important in their classroom, it's likely because it is a representation of themselves. You said the items caused 'significant disruption.' It was never a problem and they were never disruptive," she said.
"This removal may make students feel alone and scared. On the first day of in-person school, I remember walking to my teacher's classroom and immediately feeling safe and excited. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I was ecstatic that there was somebody who understood. When I saw these items stripped from the classroom, my day was severed. I was sick to my stomach and I wanted to scream, shout, and cry."
There had been concerns raised about the flags by students and parents, according to a statement from the district.
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