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Parent urges board to revise flag/display policy to protect supports for special‑needs students
Summary
Courtney McKean, a Little Miami parent of a special‑needs student, told the board that a proposed flag/display policy as written could remove classroom materials that help her child communicate and participate; she asked the board to rewrite the policy to preserve visual supports for students with different learning needs.
At the Oct. 28 meeting of the Little Miami Local School District Board of Education, parent Courtney McKean urged the board to revisit a proposed flag/display policy, saying the current draft could remove classroom displays and visual supports that are essential for some students to learn and communicate.
"The policy as written is a scorched‑earth policy that will take away all displays in the classroom that directly affect my student as a special needs student," McKean said. She described how visual displays, phrases and quotes on classroom walls are a primary way her child connects with lessons and participates socially.
McKean asked the board to "consider all students who have learned differently and not to take everything off the wall." She said teachers told her the policy draft would require them to remove many classroom items, which she said would harm students who rely on visual cues and familiar displays.
"When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're proving that you fear what he may say," McKean said, quoting a line to illustrate the importance of representation and diverse viewpoints in educational settings.
The superintendent and board members acknowledged the concern and said the display/flag policy remains under discussion; the item had been tabled previously. The board did not vote on the policy at the Oct. 28 meeting.
What happens next: The board continues to review the proposed display/flag policy in future meetings and will consider revisions that address accessibility and classroom supports for neurodivergent students.
