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Flag feud not much of a flap for school: Issues draws national attention, but parents, teachers say it isn't a big deal By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings The Willow Wind Community Learning Center will erect a U.S. flag this fall and despite a flurry of local and national attention, many Willow Wind community members say there is no issue. The decision to place a flag pole and flag at the learning center was made by Ashland School District officials in June after Willow Wind student Jesse Stanton requested a flag be flown at that site. The center, which serves as a base for home-schooled students, qualifies as a district building by state law and is required to display a U.S. flag, according to district officials. At Monday night's school board meeting, Superintendent Juli Di Chiro addressed the issue saying the flag should have been erected when the district acquired the property in August 2000. "Probably due to my oversight, we did not install a flag and flag pole at that site," Di Chiro said, later adding, "I hate to see a controversy at a time when I feel there isn't one." The learning center received national media attention after the July 10 "Flag Feud" article appeared in The Tidings. Several parents and teachers expressed concerns that the article represented the views of only a few community members and built a misconception that the flag is a debated symbol at Willow Wind. Willow Wind Teacher Audrey Flint said the facility is receiving hate mail based on the belief that most in the Willow Wind community don't want a flag. "I think it's a big misunderstanding but people are so charged on the flag issue that it created a problem when there wasn't," Flint said. Parent Michael Gandy agreed. Within any community there is a bell curve with viewpoints from one end of the spectrum to the other, he says. He personally doesn't have strong feelings on whether or not the flag flies at Willow Wind. "It's fine to have a flag pole, it's fine not to," Gandy said. But, parent Tracy Bungay, who expressed her dissent to the flag pole's approval, stands by her views. "I don't feel the need to censor myself. My beliefs are true for me. I never assumed to speak for the whole Willow Wind community," Bungay said. "I am not alone in my beliefs; I have had enormous support and thanks for the things I said. There have also been calls from ardent nationalists who have expressed their hatred but I am not uncomfortable with the attention this has brought me. I hope that despite the dwindling of our civil liberties and the current intolerance for dissent, that people will continue to speak their minds and fight for what they believe." Ashland School Board member and Willow Wind parent Heidi Parker said that within any facility or community a wide range of opinions can be expected, and, she emphasized, should be respected. "In a democracy, we should always respect the rights of others to have a differing view," she said. Stanton, who received a U.S. flag from former Republican State Chair Perry Atkinson that will be displayed at the learning center in the fall, said he is pleased the flag will go up. His mother Anne Stanton has been outspoken in her support of the flag her son. "I'm very happy my son stood by his convictions," she said. "If you don't, what else do you have." Willow wind director Debbie Pew refused to comment for this article. Her supporters assert that she has been unfairly drawn into the fray and that comments made about her inaccurately portrayed her as opposed to the flag being flown. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -