Thread: American flag penalty back in bill

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3712256

Article Launched: 04/14/2006 03:29:00 PM MDT

American flag penalty back in bill
By Mark P. Couch
Denver Post Staff Writer


Today Colorado lawmakers surrendered to Gov. Bill Owens' demand that the $4.8 billion school-finance bill include a penalty for schools that bar students from displaying the American flag.

The bill now includes a provision that the state could revoke a school district's accreditation if the district fails to adopt a policy on the flag that complies with state law.

School boards would have 90 days after the bill becomes law to adopt the policy. Losing accreditation would mean that the school board and administration could be replaced.

Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, said that penalty is preferable to the original version of the bill that proposed taking away some state money if a school principal banned students from displaying the flag.

That amendment was stripped from the bill on Monday - with Republican support. But on Thursday, Owens stood up lawmakers for a news conference and demanded the flag-ban provision.

"The original Senate bill said you lose grants," Pommer said. "The problem with that is then you say some principal or some teacher does something stupid and as a result you don't have school lunches anymore or you don't have school breakfasts. That's bad. Why do you punish the kids when an adult does something wrong?"

Dan Hopkins, Owens' spokesman, said the threat to a school district's accreditation was an acceptable alternative to withholding some state grant funds.

The flag controversy was fanned by two metro-area schools that imposed bans on flags and patriotic clothing to prevent classroom disruption. The bans were in reaction to tensions sparked by a recent rallies over immigration reform.

Earlier this month, state senators attached the amendment to withhold funds to the school finance act. The amendment was stripped from the bill on Monday by a conference committee reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.

The issue did not come up during talks with the governor's office throughout the week, said Pommer, one of the Democrats' chief negotiators. In fact, the governor's office announced Wednesday evening that it agreed to a compromise on the bill.

By Thursday, Owens raised a red flag and stood up lawmakers and other supporters who were holding a news conference to applaud the budget deal on the Capitol steps.

Lawmakers were clearly frustrated by Owens latching on to the flag at the last minute, but they agreed to a new compromise to protect funding for pre-school programs and school construction that are included in the bill.

"It (losing accreditation) is a sanction," Pommer said. "It would be unpleasant at best for a school district, so my guess is they will comply with this rule in order to not go through the brain damage.

"Just like we put this rule in here rather than go through the brain damage of having a veto and having to start from scratch and trying to rebuild something that's good for kids around a somewhat irrelevant concept."

Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-820-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.

School boards would have 90 days after the bill becomes law to adopt the policy. Losing accreditation would mean that the school board and administration could be replaced.

There's no reason to take away the accreditation of the school, that would just hurt the kids, but firing the school administration is a very good idea.