CVSD policy committee advances draft flag policy; board to consider action next month
Summary
A draft flag policy that separates policy from procedures was discussed Sept. 17; the policy would centralize flag requests under a single policy and transfer prior board actions (e.g., raising a Black Lives Matter flag) to the new procedures. The board asked for procedures and an effective date before action.
The Champlain Valley Unified School District policy committee presented a revised draft flag policy on Sept. 17 that expands the statement of purpose, incorporates DEI team recommendations and separates procedures from policy.
Policy committee members said removing procedures from the policy text is deliberate: the board will set the policy and administration will develop procedures that implement it. The draft would require that requests for non‑standard flags come from recognized student groups and include an explanation of how a proposed flag aligns with the district27s vision and mission. The policy committee also recommended transferring ownership of raising the Black Lives Matter flag from a prior board action into the new policy/procedure framework.
Board members asked for clarity about timing (the policy committee intends to return action language next month), who qualifies as a recognized student group (administration will clarify), whether multiple flags can be flown concurrently and how long flags can stay up (the draft procedures suggest up to a year). Members requested that procedures be ready in tandem with the policy so student groups have a clear process for requests.
Next steps: the policy committee will draft action language and committee-authored procedures for the board27s October meeting so the board can consider setting an effective date and implementation details.
