Oregon School's Pride Flag Riles Up Parents

BANKS, OR -- The rainbow-colored flag has long been considered a "pride flag," a symbol for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement. But for some residents of a small Oregon city, it's a political statement that needs to be removed.

Parents at Banks High School, located in Banks, where the population is roughly 1,700, have recently launched a Change.org petition asking for the flag to removed from the campus.

The petition said the "following signers of this petition ask that the Pride Flag flown in the classrooms at Banks High School be removed as we feel that it creates a hostile learning environment for students not comfortable to openly supporting the LGBTQ+ community in a public school where students come from diverse political and religious backgrounds."

"We feel that flying the Pride flag is not part of a productive learning environment and the schools should be a neutral zone free of any agenda political or otherwise," it said.

The petition had 149 signatures as of Saturday with a goal of seeking 200.

But some residents of this small town, situated in Oregon's wine country and named after dairy farmers, disagreed.

Sam Munda, 16, told the Oregonian the flag was "for the students."

"It was so students knew Banks High School is supportive of them. Having parents upset, that was not my intention," Munda told the Oregonian. "It's not what I wanted at all."

In a statement to the media, Banks School District acknowledged the three flags hanging in the classrooms.

"At Banks School District, it is our goal to create an environment where all students feel welcome, safe, and supported," the statement read. "We are following our school board policies and Oregon State Law. These explicitly state no student shall be discriminated against in a school setting."

--Photo via Pixabay/QuinceMedia