Pride flag stolen from Greenwood Public School

The Algoma District School Board has confirmed that the Pride flag flying at Greenwood Public School was taken earlier this week.

ADSB’s security company informed the board of the incident after video footage confirmed that multiple individuals trespassed on school property and took down Greenwood’s Pride flag, which flies underneath the Canadian flag near the building’s main entrance.

The removal of Pride flags has become a growing theme in communities across the country throughout Pride Month, including several recent incidents that occurred in Hamilton.

Sault Police says if anyone has information on this incident to contact them at 705-949-6300.

Instructing a Grade 4/5 class at Greenwood, elementary school teacher Natasha Cole has been an outspoken advocate for marginalized groups throughout her 25 years of teaching.

Last year, Cole's class raised more than $4,000 to help Red Cross with their humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. 

Organizing many of the diversity and inclusion efforts at her school, Cole has been reading and posting daily Pride quotes throughout the month of June while leading discussions with her students about what an ally is and what an ally can do to support their friends who identify with the LGBTQ+ community.

She was disheartened to walk up to her school on Monday and see the Pride flag had been stolen.

"Ripping down the Pride flag and leaving the Canada flag goes beyond vandalism and encroaches into the territory of a hate crime," Cole says. "It is our duty as educators to make our students within the LGBTQ+ community and their families feel safe, protected and welcomed.”

Recently, Cole posted two bulletin boards in the halls of Greenwood for Pride Month that feature influential people in the community and shares the dangers of homophobia. The school is also selling Pride pins this week while providing education to their students on what those pins represent.

“Representation at our schools is more than important — it’s necessary,” Cole says. “Flying the Pride flag is a visual representation to our LGBTQ+ students and families that we stand for inclusivity, free from discrimination.”

“Flying the flag is important because it represents the diverse population that we serve. It is also a visual reminder to the community that we are a safe place for all.”

Speaking over the phone with SooToday on Tuesday, Sault Pride chair Amanda Zuke expressed worry for the Greenwood kids who were exposed to what she is also calling a hate crime.

“Those students and young people everywhere deserve to know that no matter who they are, we want them to be accepted and welcomed,” Zuke says. “For someone to pull down Pride flags like that goes against absolutely everything we should be standing for in terms of supporting our kids as they are.”

According to Statistics Canada, police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation rose by 64 per cent between 2020 and 2021, with 423 incidents confirmed.

“The queer community already feels unsafe with the spike of hate crimes against us in the last few years,” Zuke says.

Currently organizing the Sault’s upcoming Pridefest events for July, Zuke explains that the upsetting themes surrounding the incident at Greenwood won’t stop the community from celebrating throughout the summer.

“It’s infuriating, but the opposition is not going to slow us down,” she says. “We’re celebrating.”

In an email to SooToday, ADSB director Lucia Reece provided the following statement on the situation:

Algoma District School Board was made aware that a Pride flag was taken from one of our elementary schools earlier this week. The security company which ADSB has in place alerted the board and video footage confirmed that individuals had gone onto school property and removed the flag.

Displaying the Pride Flag is one way ADSB demonstrates that our schools are safe, respectful, and welcoming environments where all, including our students and staff who identify as LGBTQ2S+, can learn, grow, and succeed together. It is also a reminder that we are committed to standing against homophobia and transphobia.

The Algoma District School Board takes this opportunity to remind families and community members that school property is private, not public property.  In the interest of safety, individuals who trespass onto school property and engage in vandalism or mischief may be charged, as our priority is keeping our sites safe and in good repair for the students we serve.

ADSB appreciates and thanks those who actively support the monitoring of school properties and who notify police when suspicious or inappropriate activity is occurring.  We all play a role in keeping our community safe and free of vandalism and mischief.”

SooToday will continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.