A controversial decision by the Kent School District to keep flags raised rather than at half-staff after the death of Charlie Kirk continues to cause turmoil within the district and beyond its borders.
A district website post about its decision even led to threats against Kent School Board members who weren’t involved in the choice by Superintendent Israel Vela not to lower flags.
“Yesterday (Sept. 14), my teenage child was sent a text about the controversy over the flags in KSD,” School Board Director Donald Cook posted Sept. 15 on Facebook. “This is beyond unacceptable. I kept my children home today (Sept. 15) out of an abundance of caution due to this.”
School Board Director Andy Song posted Sept. 15 on Facebook about what he has gone through.
“Thank you for those who checked on me today,” Song said. “Me and my family are safe.”
Song said he had received threats from people critical of the decision not to fly the flag at half-staff.
“With the timing of political violence emerging in our country, the timing of this decision sparked outrage with many community members,” Song said. “This resulted in individual board members (myself included) receiving countless emails, calls, threats, and slander. This story is making its way to local and national news, podcast, blog, and media sites.”
The controversy began Sept. 12 when the Kent School District posted on its website that it would not lower flags Sept. 12-14 at schools after the death of Kirk, 31. Kirk, a right-wing conservative activist, was fatally shot Sept. 10 during a college speaking engagement in Utah.
President Donald Trump requested all flags to be lowered in honor of Kirk, whose following helped get Trump elected in 2024. Gov. Bob Ferguson made the request as well and added others to honor. The school district lowered flags Sept. 11 in honor of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
The district, on its website with a headline of “Upholding Our Values: A Statement on Flag Protocol and Ethical Leadership,” explained the decision to keep flags raised. Vela made the decision to raise the flags to full staff, according to a Sept. 16 email from the district’s communications team.
“Kent School District (KSD) is committed to upholding our core values of equity, excellence, and community,” according to the posting. “On Sept. 11, KSD’s flags were lowered to half-staff in solemn remembrance of the lives lost and the courage shown on that day—a tradition we honor with deep respect.
“Different governmental entities have different policies regarding flag displays. Washington state law (RCW 28A.230.140) requires the district to display the United States flag during school hours, except during inclement weather. The law does not require us to lower the flag to half-staff in any particular instance, nor when another governmental entity may choose to do so.
“As educators and public servants, we believe symbolic acts such as lowering the flag should reflect the principles we work to instill in our students and community. When a person has made public statements that conflict with the values of inclusivity, respect, and student safety that we as a district strive to uphold, we may choose not to fly the flag at half-staff.
“Our decision reflects both our compliance with Washington state law and our unwavering commitment to ethical leadership and educational equity.”
Once Seattle-area conservative news commentators Brandi Kruse and Jason Rantz reposted the district’s statement on their Facebook pages, the controversy grew. Kruse hosts a podcast called unDivided with Brandi Kruse. Rantz is the host of The Jason Rantz Show on conservative talk station, KTTH 770AM/94.5 FM in Seattle.
“Heading into the weekend, the Kent School District (KSD) published a jaw-dropping statement explaining why it refused to keep flags at half-staff in honor of Charlie Kirk—assassinated after daring to show up and debate ideas,” Rantz posted Sept. 15 on Facebook.
When asked by the Kent Reporter for further explanation and a follow-up statement to the flag-raising decision, the school district sent the following reply Sept. 16.
“While following state law, we also recognize that symbolic gestures like flag displays are deeply personal,” according to the statement. “Our goal is to ensure that any action we take aligns with the inclusive, respectful, and safe environment we strive to create for all students, staff, and families. We understand that some decisions will affect people differently and that not everyone will agree — that is the nature of leadership.”
Who was Charlie Kirk
Kirk, who was married with two children, was a close friend and political ally to Trump and many of his advisers.
“Let me express the horror and grief so many Americans, at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk, have felt,” Trump said. “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children. Fantastic people.
“We miss him greatly. Yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on.”
According to NBCnews.com, Kirk was willing to say things that could galvanize and offend.
“He reached an audience of millions across established media channels like cable news and conservative talk radio, as well as through new platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook,” according to NBCnews. “His outreach organization, Turning Point USA, grew in conjunction, giving Kirk both a considerable megaphone to detail his vision and an army of foot soldiers to execute on it.”
Kirk was a leading promoter of Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen and urged Arizona Republicans to send fake electors to Washington, D.C., where his organization separately bused in supporters to go to a rally that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, according to NBCnews.com His group also created watch lists of professors and school board members in an effort to document and combat what it saw as anti-conservative discrimination and left-wing activism in education.
Kirk has separately called the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. an “awful” person who “said one good thing he actually didn’t believe,” according to NBCnews.com. Kirk also said the U.S. “made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.”
Board members react
Cook, in a Sept. 16 email to Board President Meghin Margel, called for the board to discuss the issue.
“I believe this to be a board matter due to the political nature of this decision as well as the heightened community interest in the topic,” Cook said in an email provided to the Kent Reporter and posted on Facebook. “The board should schedule, at the earliest possible time, a special meeting to review these decisions so we can mitigate the impact it is having on our students, staff, and community.”
Cook said in the email to Margel that he disagreed with Vela’s decision to keep flags raised.
“I believe the superintendent gravely overstepped his position in deciding to raise the flag against the directives of both the president and our governor and an investigation into this matter should be carried out to ensure we do not face controversy like this in the future,” Cook said.
Cook said Margel working alone with Vela on this issue is not an appropriate path forward for the district.
Song said people need to unite against political violence and not be so divided.
“In a time where rhetoric, misunderstandings, and emotionally charged topics are circulating in our conversations, I urge everyone to think critically about perpetuating this attitude,” Song said in a Facebook post. “We should be uniting to push against political violence, not expanding it. All the facts are not present so please save space for our perspectives when responding to KSD board members. We were not included in this decision and we each have thoughts of our own. We will work with the district leaders to learn, respond, and grow to the best of our abilities.”
Song said the board needs to discuss the issue at a future meeting. Currently, the next board meeting is set for Sept. 24.
“I believe in our ability to move forward from these events and look forward to a productive and compassionate discussion during our next public board meeting,” Song said.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
