Hagerty High School teachers told to remove gay pride flags

The Seminole County School Board is determining what impact the settlement over the Parental Rights in Education Act, what critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, will have on the county – even as gay pride flags were removed from Hagerty High School in Oviedo. 

The issues are related, but separate.

Brian Kuperman, the band director at Hagerty High School, spoke to the school board Tuesday. Kuperman had to pull the pride flag down from his band room after complaints from a parent back in January. The school board’s policy 2240 allows the teaching of controversial topics if it relates to instructional goals, does not indoctrinate students to a particular point of view, and encourages open-mindedness. 

In an interview with Oviedo Community News after the meeting, Kuperman said he thinks 2240 should not have applied because the flag was passively hanging in his classroom and wasn’t being taught. 

“My argument was, No. 1, it’s not controversial because it’s just the kids’ lives,” Kuperman said. “To say their lives are controversial, I have an issue with.”

He said that even if the policy applies, he sent a letter showing what instructional standards it would apply to – for example, understanding culture and a composer’s influences, and the historical era of when a musical piece was composed. 

He said he took down the flag  in the morning before the bell rang and kids immediately noticed. The story was first reported by the Hagerty Blueprint, the student newspaper at Hagerty High School. 

“I did consult with our legal department,” Hagerty Principal Robert Frasca told The Blueprint. “And their advice was that it didn’t meet the standard of the course. As a principal, I have to keep my personal beliefs out of my decision-making, and I have to make sure that I objectively look at policy and law and make sure that we are in compliance as a school.” 

Oviedo Community News asked to interview school board members and Hagerty High School officials. All requests were directed to spokeswoman Katherine Crnkovich. 

“If you’re a teacher in Seminole County and you want to have a pride flag in your classroom, it would need to meet policy 2240,” Crnkovich said. 

SCPS Superintendent Serita Beamon told board members that they are updating policies based on the settlement language.

“It has already been provided to our counsel and our hr representatives, so not only our guidance but any of our powerpoints relating to that topic can be amended to incorporate the clarification,” Beamon said. “And we will send (this) out to all of the principals, as suggested by the Florida Department of Education, once we have all the materials updated.”

Separately, Gov. Ron DeSantis reached a settlement with activists who had sued about the Parental Rights in Education Act. The settlement agreement, which you can read below, clarified that it refers to classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, “not mere discussion of them.”

“Typical classroom participation and school work are not ‘instruction,’ even if a student chooses to address sexual orientation or gender identity,” the settlement reads. 

The school board is now working with its legal department to apply the settlement to existing school board policies, and changes may be coming. 

But the issue of the pride flag removal at Hagerty was addressed by other members of the public at the school board meeting. 

“We all know students must feel safe so they can learn,” said Dr. Christine Hanlon, the parent of a high school student in Seminole County. “Removing pride flags hurts kids academically and can put them at risk for other unhealthy behaviors. …The removal of pride flags can elevate bullying and other hateful actions against LGBTQ+ kids. The removal of pride flags is dangerous, it creates an unsafe environment and the pride flags need to be replaced.”

Watch the most recent Seminole County School Board meeting here.