Town leaders in Burlington, Massachusetts, met Monday night to discuss a protest against a Pride day at a middle school.
Parents and allies voiced concerns about the actions of some students at Marshall Simonds Middle School's Pride Spirit Day as the Burlington Select Board met.
The district said some of the kids destroyed rainbow decorations. According to the Burlington Equity Coalition, some students wore red, white and blue clothing and chanted "My pronouns are 'USA.'"
"I was shocked and horrified," said Nila Almstrom, the parent of an LGBTQ student at the middle school.
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Almstrom told NBC10 Boston that her son, who goes by he/them, was there on June 2 when it happened.
"I asked them if they were OK and they said, 'I choose not to give this my attention.' And I thought that was really brave and mature of them," Almstrom said.
"The Burlington Public Schools are obligated to provide a safe environment for all students to feel safe, seen, and respected without retaliation," Superintendent Eric Conti said in a letter to parents. "We ask all staff, teachers, and members of the Burlington Public School community to join us in taking a stand against homophobia and identity-directed hateful actions."
At Monday night's meeting, several parents spoke and asked for the select board to act.
"There's some undercurrents in Burlington that town administration and school administration need to address more directly and more firmly," said Carl Foss, an elementary school parent.
Joe Anne Frustaci called for the town to invest in a diversity, equity and inclusion subcommittee.
"We need to see action, because they did disband a committee, they have no plan to reinstate the DEI committee," she said.
Select Board member Michael Espejo shared his sympathies, saying he lost sleep over the incident and that it shocked him to his core.
Still, for parents like Almstrom, the conversation starts at home.
"They organized themselves, they came to school wearing outfits and face paint. And if they're big enough to do that, then they're big enough to have this conversation, and they should be having this conversation," she said.
The Burlington School Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday night, when discussions of the issue are likely to continue.
