A Republican representative would like to ban Idaho public schools from displaying political banners and flags, but would still allow the flags of foreign nations to be flown.
State Rep. Edward Hill (R) earlier this week introduced House Bill 10, which would limit the kinds of flags and banners that would be allowed in public elementary and secondary schools.
The bill pertains to the display of such material on school property as a whole and would ban flags or banners “that represent a political viewpoint.”
The list of flags or banners includes but is not limited to material relating to a political party, race, gender, or a “political ideology.”
At the same time, an extensive list of what could be flown or displayed was also provided in the bill.
The American flag, the official state flag of Idaho, and the flags of any county, municipality, public university or community college, school district, special district, or “any other political subdivision” would be allowed.
School flags (including mascots and school colors), official flags of any military branches or units, and official flags of Indian tribes were also included.
Schools would also be allowed to display banners recognized by the Idaho Department of Education in relation to achievements.
Other state flags could also be flown, but so could the flags of other “recognized foreign nations.”
‘This a neutral environment conducive to education and learning.’
As reported by the Idaho Statesman, an identical version of the bill was submitted in 2024, but while it passed in the Senate, it was held up in the House Education Committee.
Former State Senator Chris Trakel (R) said at the time that his daughter was “extremely uncomfortable” with the flags due to her religious beliefs.
Trakel told a Senate committee hearing, “Somebody could take offense to the LGBTQ flag, and they might. Somebody of a religious origin would find that offensive to them, and they have to sit in the classroom and be offended the entire time.”
“The whole point of this isn’t to discriminate against anybody. [It] is to make this a neutral environment conducive to education and learning,” Trakel added.
Flags have become a hot-button issue in recent years given the rise in political ideology pushed in classrooms.
For example, in 2024 an Oklahoma teen was told he wasn’t allowed to fly a giant American flag on his truck on school property. More than 50 cars arrived at the school the next Monday morning at 7 a.m. sporting American flags in protest.
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters eventually stepped in and created a mandate that required schools to allow U.S. flags to be “flown and displayed on all school campuses without infringement.”
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