Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lgbtq School Inclusion topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Everett School Committee authorizes Pride flag raising at Everett High School on June 2
Summary
The Everett School Committee voted 8-0 March 17 to authorize and support a Pride flag-raising celebration at Everett High School on June 2, 2025, following a public comment in favor of school-based Pride events and remarks from committee members emphasizing student safety and inclusion.
The Everett School Committee on March 17 voted 8-0 to provide authorization and support for a Pride flag-raising celebration at Everett High School on Monday, June 2, 2025.
The vote followed a public comment from Jason Wheeler, an Everett resident and guardian of an Adams School student, who urged the committee to continue supporting school-based Pride celebrations. "Pride celebrations send a powerful message to students, especially LGBTQ students, that they belong," Wheeler said. "In our schools here in Everett, these schools, our students remain, safe, affirmed, and this is a place of belonging for them."
Committee members framed the action as a statement of inclusion and student safety. School Committee member Almeda Barros, the item’s original sponsor, said the event "sends a message to all of our students, to all of our parents and all of our families ... that this is a safe place. This is a welcoming place." Barros and other committee members noted the event has grown since its start and described it as a district-wide affirmation amid national debates over LGBTQ issues in schools.
The motion for favorable action to authorize and support the Pride flag-raising was made and seconded and carried by roll call vote, with all eight members voting yes. The motion record identifies the event date and location as June 2, 2025, at Everett High School and lists committee cosponsors. Committee materials and remarks identify Mr. Salazar as the organizer/chair for the event.
Public comment for the meeting included a single speaker, Jason Wheeler, who connected his remarks to broader concerns raised nationally about the treatment of LGBTQ students, and urged continued local support. Committee members reiterated that the authorization is meant to signal that Everett Public Schools is welcoming to all students.
The committee provided no changes to district policy during the vote; the action is an authorization and public-support gesture for the event as described.
The committee recorded the motion and roll call; no abstentions or votes against were recorded.
