Education

School’s Display of N. Korean Flag Raises Veterans’ Ire

By Michelle Galley — March 06, 2002 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The North Korean flag hanging at Diloreto Elementary School in New Britain, Conn., could be taken down this week if the local school board agrees with one of its members, who contends that the banner is offensive.

School board member James Sanders Sr. said he was appalled when he saw the flag hanging in the school’s cafeteria recently—especially in light of President Bush’s recent labeling of the country as part of an “axis of evil” in his State of the Union Address.

“I’m a veteran of the Korean War,” Mr. Sanders said, “and I think it is a slap in the face to everyone who served there.”

The flag of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as the Communist state of North Korea is formally known, was purchased five years ago along with flags from about 75 other nations when the principal decided to make global studies the theme of the magnet school, according to Assistant Superintendent Ronald Jakubowski.

“It’s very decorative,” Mr. Jakubowski said. “Every classroom has a flag hanging outside its door.”

Mr. Sanders said he could not persuade the superintendent to take the flag down, so he met with a local veterans’ group to garner support for his cause. Whether the flag should remain in the 600-student school was debated at a school board committee meeting last week.

But committee members decided the final decision should be made by the full board of the 10,500-student district, located near Hartford. The board was scheduled to vote on the issue this week.

Many parents whose children attend the school advocated keeping the flag, contending that the display of banners celebrates diversity but does not necessarily honor a particular country, Mr. Jakubowski said.

But numerous veterans who attended the meeting disagreed. “They are flying that flag in an honorable place—a school,” said Paul Maykut, the vice president of the New Britain Veterans Council and a veteran of World War II, who spoke at the meeting last week.

Mr. Sanders said the debate has served to remind the community of the Korean War. “Korea is called the forgotten war,” he said. “But at least now people are talking about it, and it is something they won’t forget.”

A version of this article appeared in the March 06, 2002 edition of Education Week as School’s Display of N. Korean Flag Raises Veterans’ Ire

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Mathematics Webinar How to Build Students’ Confidence in Math
Learn practical tips to build confident mathematicians in our webinar.
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum How to Build and Scale Effective K-12 State & District Tutoring Programs
Join this free virtual summit to learn from education leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on the topic of high-impact tutoring.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: April 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Quiz ICYMI: Do You Know What 'High-Quality Curriculum' Really Means?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of curricula.
iStock/Getty
Education Quiz ICYMI: Lawsuits Over Trump's Education Policies And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of money symbol, books, gavel, and scale of justice.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Quiz ICYMI: Trump Moves to Shift Special Ed Oversight And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP