In Defense of Institutional Political Neutrality at LFHS
September 16, 2019
On the 18th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on our nation, local residents awoke to the sight of 2,977 miniature American flags lining the street in front of Lake Forest High School. The tribute was moving, with students and parents alike taking to social media to praise the club responsible for it, LFHS’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). But upon discussion of both the process and the origin of the display, it wasn’t long before the parents and residents of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff initiated a great deliberation via Facebook comments.
After hours of debate, local residents established collective support for honoring the victims of 9/11 — nobody took issue with the flags themselves. The controversy ultimately boiled down to a question of whether or not Lake Forest High School should have allowed YAF’s display on its property. On the surface, and given the limited information provided to residents about the organization, it’s conceivable that some would view the decision as an attack on so-called free speech. But to argue that the LFHS administration blocked a nonpartisan tribute, or to somehow suggest that the administration lacks patriotism because of it, is pointedly misleading and McCarthyesque.
If anything, YAF’s own partisanship and adherence to their parent group’s nationally-distributed instruction to include YAF signs with the flags was what warranted the ban. A guide that was written and shared with local YAF chapters by the national headquarters — apparently deemed the “battleplan” — blatantly demands that students “don’t let the Left appropriate this day to promote their politically correct, socialist agenda.” YAF’s website also urges that students “don’t let the leftist bullies at your school get away with infringing on your rights and pushing their bizarre worldview,” suggesting that members file reports against their own schools to “expose their bias and let us [the national organization] help you push back.”
As Americans, we all enjoy the right to organize, affiliate, and make statements about our beliefs. Support for student-led endeavors in politics, regardless of their ideology, is pretty universal here at LFHS.
‘Politics’ itself is not a dirty word, and good-faith political engagement should never be looked down upon. But masking political posturing as sheer, inarguable patriotism is both factually incorrect and improper. Undoubtedly, Young Americans for Freedom always holds the right to promote its own brand and website on the same sign that depicts an airplane flying into the Twin Towers. But at the same time, a public school is not obliged to allow such a display on its property, given the partisan affiliation and overt promotion of a national organization that is entirely separate from LFHS. Not to mention, to allow the promotion of a national group whose donors are actively undermining public education on the property of a public school might be perceived as rather alarming. The administration’s decision not to allow the display and the accompanying signs on school property is a testament to its continued emphasis on political neutrality as an institution, and that decision makes our school a better environment for students to make up their own mind, plain and simple.
Lake Forest High School is in no way opposed to honoring those we so tragically lost on September 11, 2001 — the contested position they took was entirely separate from that question. Absent the adherence to an outside, nationwide plan to tack partisan branding onto a memorial, the administration would undoubtedly have backed a student-led effort. The display itself was moving, and I am grateful to my peers for taking the time to remember the victims of 9/11. I am also grateful to my school for its vigilance in protecting students from any perception of school-sponsored political bias while continuing to foster discussion by supporting all student-led clubs.
Young Americans for Freedom’s inclusion of their own logos and website along with the display was completely up to them, and neither choice is right nor wrong. But with that decision comes a change in the school’s ability to sponsor it — a change that is unsurprising, given any ounce of context.
Alumni • Sep 26, 2021 at 12:10 am
Kelsey,
As the founder of the Highschools only Partisan club; School Democrats of America. How can anyone believe that you are maintaining political neutrality when your premise is opposition to everything and anything remotely against republican values. As an Alumni I am thoroughly disgusted with the administrations banning of flags. I spoke with many individuals in the Deans office and confirmed it was just flags, non partisan AMERICAN FLAGS. The fact they weren’t allowed is purely disgusting and unamerican. Lake Forest has always (until recently) respected the American flag. I am mortified that not only is the Highschool blatantly biased because they kicked YAF out for not holding meetings when COVID forbid them but they refuse to answer any questions at board meetings about polarized faculty who blatanlty infuse their bias into the education. The only compliment that I can give to you is you wrote this article with proficient grammar and english comprehension. I will do everything I can as an Alumni to get the students the ability to learn unpolarized, hold faculty and administrators accountable for bias, and have this incident never occur again.
Robin • Sep 26, 2019 at 3:48 pm
Kelsey, you are a star! Brilliant and articulate as ever. Thank you for writing this informative article even at the scrutiny of insecure adults.
Sophie Smulevitz • Sep 20, 2019 at 1:48 pm
Thank you for this insightful and eloquent article!
Casey Murray • Sep 18, 2019 at 5:32 pm
Excellent work with this opinion Kelsey. You didn’t beat around the bush and certainly weren’t unbiased but you strove to be fair, civil, and open-minded — and that’s the important thing. I’m looking forward to great things from both you and Catherine this year.
AJ Shaw • Sep 18, 2019 at 10:25 am
Fantastic job Kelsey. While I don’t particularly agree with the school being neutral on politics, you did a great job with your research and keeping it as unbiased as possible. Great stuff.
Nina Vallone • Sep 17, 2019 at 8:03 am
Kelsey, thank you for writing such a well researched and unbiased article. You presented the facts, clearly, and unbiasedly, which is so important in our world today. Good job.
Katie HS • Sep 17, 2019 at 7:49 am
Great article. Thank you for the insight and perspective.
Elizabeth Porter • Sep 16, 2019 at 10:54 pm
I, for one, am so glad I graduated before overtly political and divisive clubs like YAF became a thing at LFHS.
I’m also glad LFHS has students like Kelsey Marx, who is 100x more informed and thoughtful than some of these adults on Facebook. Unlike their comments, this article is level-headed, fair, and very well written. Keep fighting the good fight, Kelsey!
Brody Waligora • Sep 16, 2019 at 10:15 pm
OMG the American flag is evil
#I #love #Hillary
Kate Buckardt • Sep 16, 2019 at 10:02 pm
Thank you for your well researched and insightful article.
Anonymous • Sep 16, 2019 at 9:14 pm
All I have to say is wow…. I read 100’s of facebook comments on 9/11. 100’s of people who were thankful and blessed to see those flags as a healthy reminder of the unity in our country and able to take a second to remember the horrific event that was 9/11. With that it’s truly unfortunate to see the lack of enthusiasm or patriotism in this article and in those facebook comments. The 5th comment is so far from the truth, which that person would know if they simply went onto the website of Young Americans for Freedom. But most importantly, why must people today find the negative in such a good thing? It’s truly appalling, sad and heart breaking.
LFHS alumni • Sep 16, 2019 at 9:05 pm
LFHS is a #$%^ show of leftist agenda I had too many instructors trying to push liberal views on me. I’ve had teachers that took points off essays because my views disagreed with them. 9/11 is a tragic event and thousands lost their lives. I miss the 9/12 where America stood without politics. Left and right bought out all American flags, People United to grieve, everyone cared for everyone. Now schools like LAKE FOREST are responding to this new left cancer everyone’s feelings matter bullshit that leaves students unprepared for the harsh reality that is real life. This is an institution of education and political views shouldn’t be pushed either way by educators. And we shouldn’t tell people that they are right because we worry about their feelings.
Patrick • Sep 16, 2019 at 9:05 pm
I think it’s horrible how they made this political all it was was kids paying tribute to those who lost there lives
Not Patrick • Feb 14, 2022 at 4:40 pm
You ignored the part about YAF also intending to post signs on LFHS property