A flap over the U.S. flag at Edmond North High School last week has triggered new guidelines from State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who is also adding a mandate for schools regarding the Pledge of Allegiance.

The issue started when a student was told by the school that he couldn’t fly a U.S. flag on his truck for safety reasons.

That drew immediate pushback from Walters, as well as some students who held a protest on campus on Monday.

Walters today announced two new guidelines.

He says schools are required to create a policy where the U.S. flag can be displayed “without infringement,” although he says the displays should be “respectful.”

He gave no clear definition of what qualifies as respectful.

Even though it wasn’t part of the Edmond dispute, Walters is also mandating that all schools lead students in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at least once a week.

He is required the schools to provide his office with a report on how they plan to implement their policies.

©2024 Cox Media Group