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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, has reportedly ordered an investigation into a Long Island high school, after the administration asked a math teacher take down her "Progress Pride" flag.
Connetquot High School teacher Sarah Ecke, who teaches girls basketball as well as math according to the district's website, met with the school administration after they received complaints the large flag made students "uncomfortable."
According to the district, the teacher refused to take down the flag after being presented with multiple options so the district implemented a policy that only the American flag, state flag and curriculum-based flags could be displayed in classrooms.
Kathy Hochul has reportedly ordered an investigation into a Long Island teacher being asked to remove pride flags from her classroom. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The state's Democratic governor is reportedly investigating the incident, after being alerted to it by gay rights group, LGBT Network of Long Island. The school is also facing a lawsuit from LGBT Network, according to Fox 5.
According to Bronx news outlet, News 12, "hundreds" of students and parents showed up at the school district's October 11 board meeting to protest the removal of the flag.
People hold a rainbow flag during the 51st LGBTQ Pride Parade in Chicago, Illinois, on June 26, 2022 (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The Pride Progress Flag "features black and brown stripes to portray marginalized LGBTQ+ communities of color and baby blue, pink and white to incorporate the trans flag in its design," according to a LGBT travel site.
The district defended the decision during the board meeting, assuring critics they wanted their schools to feel like a "welcoming place for all." But they slammed the "miscalculated rush to judgment," as well, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital from the meeting.
They explained they had offered to let the teacher leave the flags up during her time overseeing the students "Genders and Sexualities Alliances Club," but that offer was "refused by the teacher."
A person holds a rainbow flag during a gay pride parade. (REUTERS/Axel Schmidt)
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"This suggestion was refused by the teacher, as was the district’s offer to install a sign stating "This is a safe space to be who you are" in the classroom. It was only then – having exhausted all of these alternatives and being left without further recourse – that the district informed staff that only the American Flag, the [New York State] Flag and curriculum-based flags were permitted to be displayed in classrooms," the district statement read.
"Governor Hochul is committed to protecting the human rights of New Yorkers, and has directed the Division of Human Rights to investigate potential violations of Human Rights Law in this matter, consistent with the agency's mandate," Hochul's office told Newsday in a statement earlier this week.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Gov. Hochul and Ms. Ecke for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
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