Carlsbad, Calif. (KGTV) - A few hundred high school students in the north county walked out of class Tuesday morning.
The student-led walkouts happened at Carlsbad High School and Sage Creek High Schools. Some parents also joined to show their support. Senior Kayley Teagle organized them.
"So many kids outed themselves and shared their stories of pain and sorrow just to get them to listen to us and then they didn't even discuss it," said Teagle.
She's referring to last Thursday's emergency board meeting of the Carlsbad Unified School District. The board was supposed to vote on raising the rainbow flag in support of LGBTQ-plus students and staff during Pride month.
"I think it's important to have the flag raised in the schools during Pride month because it will help show students like myself, a part of the LGBTQ community, that they feel represented seeing it and that they're walking into a space where they feel safe," said student Talia Baird.
Instead, the board voted 3- 2 to delay a vote until sometime this summer. District leaders say they need to come up with a policy for handling requests to fly any flag before they can allow the Pride flag.
Pride month starts June first.
"Your duty is to support these kids to create a safe learning environment and when kids can't feel safe they don't learn, it's your job to support these students and by raising the flag you're really saying we support every student," said parent Rachel Mantuano.
Students also want the board to pass the district's Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging Plan and they want a vice principal fired over remarks he made about the plan to his church.
"It is important for my kids and my family that every single human being that steps on this campus feels welcome," said parent Becky Cherlin-Baird.
The superintendent did not respond to inquiries about the board's recent decision but issued the following statement in response to the walkouts.
"Our first priority is to ensure student safety. We’re pleased to hear that the student-organized walkouts were peaceful this morning, with minimal disruptions to student learning. We’re told that students returned to class after the 10 am walkouts at Carlsbad High and Sage Creek High, and that the focus at both schools continues to be on getting ready for next week’s final exams and commencement ceremonies.
Consistent with Board Policy 5145.2, our district’s position is to neither encourage nor discourage student participation in events such as this. We will continue to focus on maintaining a safe, respectful, and positive learning environment on our campuses."
Dr. Benjamin Churchill
Superintendent
Carlsbad Unified School District
