Marblehead school committee to hold community forums on draft flag policy after public pushes for student role

Renee Ramirez Kini, a Marblehead resident, told the school committee that students overwhelmingly believe decisions about flying flags or banners should rest with school administrators in consultation with students, not be preemptively restricted by committee policy.

The committee said it will schedule forums for students and the public to discuss a draft flag policy, ask district administrators for scheduling input, and run draft language by the district attorney before taking the policy to the committee for readings.

At a public-comment portion of the meeting, Renee Ramirez Kini said she was speaking on behalf of students who had previously submitted feedback. "The overwhelming majority of students believe that the decision regarding the flying of flags or banners should rest not with the school committee, but with professional administrators, the principal, and superintendent in consultation with students," Kini said. She added that allowing student input creates an "important developmental and experiential learning opportunity."

Other residents urged student involvement and criticized holding the earlier workshop during weekday working hours. Nyla Dubois said symbols such as the Pride flag or Black Lives Matter flag do not "speak for everybody," and called for teaching students how to debate values. Chris Bruel said, "The students need to be involved in this entire process" and criticized weekday meetings that exclude students from attending.

During the committee discussion, members who led the draft policy work said their intent is to honor prior outreach and to hold at least two kinds of forums: a student-focused session (organized with principals and administrators for times likely during school hours) and a public evening forum (likely 6–7 p.m.) to maximize community participation. The committee discussed consulting Alicia, the district's MASC representative, and the district attorney, Liz, to review any proposed language and any recent policy updates. The committee also noted some community confusion over the earlier workshop format and said they would add an FAQ explaining workshops and public forums.

Committee members said they would coordinate scheduling with Superintendent John Constantino and with building principals, including Dr. Carlson, to pick dates that maximize student participation. The chair suggested tentatively offering a forum on Feb. 13 in the evening but emphasized timing remains subject to administrators' recommendations and public notice requirements.

The committee described the forum process as advisory: administrators and principals would retain final operational authority on whether flags fly in school buildings, but the committee wants to document community input before proposing formal policy language. The committee emphasized it will not use workshop sessions for formal decision-making; instead, it will gather feedback and return a proposed policy to the full committee for the required readings.

The district has two draft flag-policy texts under review; committee members said they will continue refining a single draft and then present it for public input.

The meeting produced no formal vote on the flag policy. The committee recorded next steps: schedule forums; consult administrators and legal counsel; and return with a refined draft at a future meeting for formal readings.

The committee asked administration to post an FAQ on the district website clarifying workshop and forum formats and to publish meeting notices once dates are set.

The discussion followed earlier public comment in which multiple students and residents had submitted written feedback and requested that student voices be central to any final decision.