A little-known federal rule has caused a Pride flag to be removed outside an Ontario high school.The flag at Wellington Heights Secondary School in Mount Forest was raised at the request of the school’s social equity committee, Georgia Mills, 17, told The Star. She said the Pride message was felt to be particularly important in their small town, with a high school population of only 569 students. Shortly after it was raised, however, Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) received complaint from a community member, pointing to the federal governments’ rules on flying the national flag. The Pride flag was hung on the same flagpole as the Canadian one, they pointed out, meaning Wellington Heights was in violation of the “Dignity of the Flag” subsection. The cited rules aren’t governed by any legislation, but by established practice. The Canadian government webpage on the subject clearly cites that “the rules applied by the federal government are not mandatory for individuals or organizations; they serve as guidelines.”But the board still elected to remove the flag from Wellington Heights.“The response to the flag coming down was crushing to some of the students and staff who have worked so hard to create an atmosphere of equality and acceptance,” Mills told The Star.Other schools in the board have flown secondary flags on their poles, UGDSB Communications and Community Engagement Officer Heather Loney told The Star — but they’ve never received a complaint. Wellington teacher Jessica Rowden, who runs the student equity group, pointed out that the complaint wasn’t originally based in policy; rather, it only came after several complaints about the flag’s political weight. After reading the federal rules, the board said they were faced with an uncharted question. “It’s not legislation, but it is there,” Loney explained. Like most UGDSB schools, Wellington ...
|
