'Safe Place' stickers cause debate at Arrowhead Union High School board meeting

Board votes 6-3 Thursday morning to bring in legal counsel at next policy meeting

Board votes 6-3 Thursday morning to bring in legal counsel at next policy meeting

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Board votes 6-3 Thursday morning to bring in legal counsel at next policy meeting

Students and parents on Thursday packed an early morning school board meeting at Arrowhead High School Union District Office to protest a proposed ban on signs in school that they feel is "divisive propaganda.""I'm here to speak out against and just at least make a point about how just inane this whole policy is," Arrowhead rising senior Ali McCloud said.

The policy up for debate proposes a ban on "safe space" stickers.

Some Arrowhead High School teachers have already displayed them in their classrooms.

The sticker, the size of a business card, is intended to let students know the classroom is free of judgment.

"These kids go into school, and they see stickers here, but they don't see them there. What does that mean does that mean? One place is safer than the next? I don't know. It's confusing," school board president Kim Schubert said.

The drafted proposal would also ban signs addressing race, gender and politics. Examples include LGBTQ+ Pride symbols, Black Lives Matter signs or "thin blue line" flags.

"We're one team, and that's what I feel this is all about — avoiding division," school board vice president Chris Farris said.

"This is a free speech, free expression issue, folks, in my view, and banning stuff is directly against the First Amendment," school board member Craig Thompson said. "I'm trying to bring the point that this policy has so many vagaries to it, it is so hard to understand and to administer as to be nearly impossible."

"For a while, I only felt comfortable expressing myself in those sorts of rooms because I knew the teacher was at least accepting and supporting, so taking that away takes away just my safety in the school, I feel," McCloud said.

"I think it's a terrible message of exclusivity and harm," said parent Jon Norcross. It shouldn't have been here in the first place. It's not solving an issue the parents are bringing to the board. The administration isn't bringing it to the board. Students certainly aren't bringing it to the board, so it really was an unnecessary policy."

The board voted 6-3 Thursday morning to bring in legal counsel at their next policy meeting to discuss this further.

Board members said they are taking this action even though school leaders have not received any complaints about the "safe space" stickers.

Their next meeting is in two weeks.