Image Credit: Tullahoma School Board & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
During their Tuesday night meeting, the Tullahoma School Board approved a policy which will allow only the American or Tennessee state flags to be displayed in classrooms, thereby prohibiting LGBT Pride flags and other political or cultural symbols.
The policy’s main focus is on textbooks and school materials, but one section specifically addresses flags and other displays.
That section explicitly states, “No flag or other displays (ex., banners, pennants, digital signs, etc.) other than that of the United States of America and state of Tennessee may be displayed in or on Tullahoma City Schools building, including classrooms, unless it is an official country, state, TCS school, higher education, post-secondary institution, or United States military branch flag used solely for educational purposes.”
Any other flags, posters, or displays like those related to political, cultural, or personal ideologies are prohibited unless it is directly related to the “curriculum or other school-sanctioned events or programs.”
The policy does include an appeals process for exemptions which requires a written request submitted to the principal or other designees for consideration. The requests must include an image of the flag/display, the length of time it will be displayed, and justification for the exception, like how it connects directly to a school club, organization, sports team, or classroom.
Public comments at the meeting included numerous residents from both sides of the argument, with several of those against the change becoming emotional in their speeches.
One commenter speaking against the proposed policy, a transgender “woman” going by the name Meadow Spratland, lamented his inability to come out as transgender during high school because his peers in the Tullahoma school system were “staunchly transphobic,” and blamed such an environment for his decent into drug use.
Spratland stated that the Pride flag is a symbol of unity and a “message that we are welcome to exist here, that at least one person in the room thinks we don’t deserve to be excluded from daily life because of factors we are unable to control about ourselves.”
Many who spoke in favor of the policy change chastised the board for continually ignoring community pleas and pressure to remove far-left symbols from the classrooms.
Several referred to the display of a pride flag in the classroom of Monica Blake-Beasley, a criminal justice teacher who was only reprimanded for disrespectful comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, despite community pushes for her termination.
During board discussion, member Rosie Graham said she believes the policy is very comprehensive and did not come lightly, resulting from the work of lawyers, administration members, and additional groups who examined policies at other schools.
The board also explained the policy would not take effect until the school leadership team could be trained on it and those leaders could then train their staff. Then educators would have time to see if any of their materials did not align with the new policy and review the exceptions processes for any items they wished to dispute. The goal is to have the policy completely implemented by winter break of this year, but the timeline is somewhat flexible.
Members voted unanimously to approve the change.
Reportedly, both Coffee and Tipton County schools have similar policies as local boards are taking it upon themselves to adjust flag policies after several Republican Senators refused to vote on a bill that would have prohibited pride and other ideological flags statewide in 2024.
Conservative legislators attempted to revive the bill in 2025, but it was never heard by House or Senate committees.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Good!!