Document text
Flag feud By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings The American flag, with its 13 horizontal stripes and 50 stars, is creating a stir on the Willow Wind Community Learning Center campus. Willow Wind, a learning center that supports home-schooled students, will erect a flag pole and flag this fall- the decision was made by Ashland School District officials and prompted by Jesse Stanton, a 13-year-old Ashland resident who wished to have the nation's symbol of freedom at his learning center. However, the decision to wave the flag at Willow Wind is not being well received by all. For parent Tracy Bungay, the flag is an unwelcome symbol. "I feel very strongly that there should not be a flag pole and there should not be a flag," Bungay said. According to Bungay, the flag does not represent a symbol of diversity. It has become a brand or logo for what she feels is an imperialist nation. "I feel our country is on a strong push towards imperialism and we're not a democratic nation anymore," Bungay said. "I want to raise my children to be citizens of the world and the flag does not represent ideals I want to instill in my children. It represents dominance, greed, corporate power and not freedom. I think it even represents commercialism and consumerism." The flag wrangle began after Stanton said he contacted Willow Wind Director Debi Pew on the possibility of placing a flag on-site. "She (Pew) told me when I first asked her that it would be offensive to some students and it couldn't happen," Stanton said. "It was disappointing but I wasn't completely surprised because I know there are a good deal of people there who don't look at the flag or America favorably." Pew declined comment to The Tidings and directed questions to district officials. Stanton, who won a national Elks essay contest for his essay titled "What Does Freedom Mean To Me," went to district officials in June to make his pitch for the flag. "I wish they could view it as I do," he said. "It's fairly frustrating because at the learning center, I'm one of the only one's who speaks out on my views that support patriotism and pro-Americanism." Stanton received a U.S. flag from former Republican State Chair Perry Atkinson,a nd he requested that it be placed on the Willow Wind campus. According to district officials, Oregon Revised Statute 339.875 states "Each district school board shall procure a United States flag and an Oregon State flag of suitable sizes and shall cause such flags to be displayed upon or near each public school building during school hours . . ." Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said although the learning center is not a school, it is a district building - which will require the site to display the flag. "The question is, is the emphasis on school or on building?" Di Chiro said. "The only decision we had to make was what does that mean, what is a public school building?" District officials determined the site falls under state regulations because it is technically a district building, operating on the ASD's general funds. Willow Wind parent Julie Bedford said she disagrees with the flag's approval and feels the learning center community should vote on the matter. "I think everyone in our community at Willow Wind should have a say in this," Bedford said. "One person does not have the right to go above everyone's heads. It's completely the opposite of democracy." Bungay agreed, adding that Stanton and his mother Anne Stanton should have brought the request before the parent council, which meets twice-monthly to discuss campus matters. "It was never put on the parent council agenda. It was never brought to Willow Wind families collectively and we're a consensus-based decision-making organization," she said. Anne Stanton said she felt the flag would not be placed if it was left to a vote. "We are the minority at the community learning center," Anne Stanton said. "We are going to get the flag there because it's public law but if we just had to work with CLC it would probably be vetoed because we're the minority." District officials said the decision is not up to the parents either way. "It's really not their choice," Di Chiro said. "They can't change this law." The flag is scheduled to be in place this fall. However no date has been set for installation of the flag pole. 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 -