Connetquot Wins Federal Appeal Over Pride Flags In Classrooms: Court Docs

BOHEMIA, NY — A federal appeals court has sided with the Connetquot Central School District in a yearslong legal battle over Pride flags in high school classrooms.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Monday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Connetquot High School teachers Christopher Dolce, Sarah Ecke and Shinaide McAleavey-Polley, who argued the district violated their constitutional and employment rights when it ordered Pride flags and stickers removed in 2022.

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The three-judge panel ruled that decorations displayed on classroom walls and doors are part of teachers' official duties and therefore may be regulated by the school district.

The district declined to comment on the decision.

"The question in this case is whether that same principle applies to displays hung on the walls of a public high school teacher's math classroom," Circuit Judge Alison Nathan wrote. "We hold that it does."

The court found that the Pride flags and stickers were connected to the teachers' professional responsibilities in creating their classroom environments.

"As a result, their First Amendment rights were not violated when they were ordered to remove them," Nathan wrote.

The dispute began during the 2022-23 school year when district officials directed Ecke, a math teacher and adviser to the school's Gay Straight Alliance, to remove a Progress Pride flag from her classroom.

Patch previously reported that then-Superintendent Lynda Adams said several students had reported feeling uncomfortable with the Progress Pride flag, which she said was at least twice the size of an American flag displayed nearby.

Officials initially told Ecke she could continue displaying a traditional Pride flag. After she declined to remove the Progress Pride flag, district administrators cited a policy prohibiting employees from engaging in political activity on school grounds.

"The only flags that should be hung in a classroom or office are the American flag and the New York State flag," Assistant Superintendent Reza Kolahifar wrote to staff at the time.

The district later directed staff to remove unauthorized flags and prohibited flag stickers on classroom doors and windows.

The decision sparked protests and legal action from teachers and LGBTQ advocates. More than 200 people rallied against the policy in October 2022, and Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the state Division of Human Rights to investigate potential violations of state Human Rights Law, Patch reported at the time.

Dolce, Ecke and McAleavey-Polley later sued the district, its Board of Education and several officials.

A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in April 2025, and the teachers appealed.

In Monday's ruling, the Second Circuit also rejected claims that the district selectively targeted LGBTQ teachers or Pride symbols because of discriminatory motives.

The judges also made clear that their decision does not mean everything a teacher wears or displays inside a classroom automatically becomes school-controlled speech.

Court documents cited examples such as a Pride pin worn by a teacher, a photo of a same-sex spouse or religious clothing as different from decorations covering classroom walls and doors.

According to court documents, Connetquot's attorney acknowledged during oral argument that the policy would not prohibit a Pride pin or photo of a same-sex spouse and that Ecke could display the Progress Pride flag during Gay Straight Alliance meetings.

The appeals court affirmed the lower court's dismissal of the case.