Community outraged after school removes Pride flag that flew since 2019: "It's anger. It's sadness."https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/10/community-outraged-after-school-removes-pride-flag-that-flew-since-2019-its-anger-its-sadness/ 🔗Daniel Villarreal (13 Oct 2026)
Students, parents, and businesses from the Sonoma Valley High School community in California are pushing back after the school board voted last Friday to remove a Progress Pride flag bearing the school's dragon mascot, which has flown on the school's outdoor flagpole since 2019.
Sonoma Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees voted 3-2 last Thursday to remove the flag and restrict symbolic flags and banners to specific awareness months. Board President David Bell said, "When the flag went up in 2019, no process was created for any other group to apply. What was called inclusion became, in practice, exclusion of all but one group."
Bell had previously told the school to remove the flag in January, but he reversed his decision four days later amid pushback and protest from the school community, who saw the flag as a symbol of safety and security, The Sonoma Sun reported.
In a January 22 letter, school staff members criticized Bell's unilateral decision and urged the school board not to disrupt decisions overseen by the school's supportive principal.
...on October 8, the Board of Trustees voted 3–2 to restrict symbolic flags to specific awareness months rather than a year-round display.
When asked about the community's feelings by local news station KRON, Sonoma Valley Pride member Gary Saperstein said, "It's frustration. It's anger. It's sadness."------------------------
@Sarah B
