Overview
- The Sonoma Valley Unified School District board voted 3–2 last Thursday to require that only the U.S. and California flags fly year‑round while other symbolic flags may appear only during approved awareness periods.
- Under the new policy schools can still display Pride flags for specific occasions such as Pride Month but the banner is no longer permitted as a permanent, year‑round fixture.
- Dozens of Sonoma Valley High School students walked out of class in a GSA‑organized protest, and parents and community members gathered across the street to support the demonstrators.
- Board President David Bell and other trustees said the Pride flag had been given permanent placement in 2019 without a formal districtwide approval process and cited a 2022 Supreme Court ruling as a legal concern for permitting year‑round private‑group flags.
- Roughly 60 district staff signed a memo backing LGBTQ+ students and local businesses raised Pride flags in solidarity, signaling continued community pressure that may prompt further meetings or legal review.