MAYBE FOCUS ON EDUCATION?

In Southeastern Wisconsin, Hartland's Arrowhead High is notorious as a sports factory.

This high school hit the booster club and the taxpayers up for a quarter of a million dollars to upgrade their athletics facilities (still not at the extravagant level of Texas, but as my dad would put it, "why compare yourself to the worst?") despite requiring only mathematics through advanced algebra for graduation, and not having a planetarium, nor offering astronomy nor organic chemistry for advanced placement seniors.

The people who put up the money doubtless think it well-spent, as in the 2015-2016 school year Arrowhead is the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's sports school of the year, for the fifteenth straight year.

Their basketball boys knocked Milwaukee Hamilton out of the state tournament earlier this year.

The school board, however, perhaps sensitive to the election returns, has gotten involved in the Culture Wars.

The Arrowhead School Board is considering a policy that would prohibit "flags, signs and divisive propaganda" in an effort to "create safe, even and fair environments for the academic achievements of all students."

The policy would prohibit signs or wording implying that a certain area is a "safe space," and would also ban flags, signs, stickers or similar display items "denoting a division of race, ideology, sexual orientation, gender preference or political affiliations" from being displayed on school grounds.

If the curriculum follows the identity politics calendar as assiduously as gym class follows the sports seasons, the removal of the stickers and flags will be symbolic, and none of it matters if the theme months crowd out the language and laboratories and mathematics.

The way in which the policy would be implemented will lead to a feeding frenzy for lawyers.

The proposal would prohibit "flags of any kind," with the exception of the American flag, Wisconsin state flag and flags specific to a foreign language being taught in that room. It would also forbid "race dividing" signs such as Black Lives Matter "or anything denoting one specific race"; as well as "anti racist classroom notations, rainbows or any signage of any type promoting a sexual or gender preference, political signage promoting one party or candidate over another."

The policy does not include student attire or student-owned items or vehicles as long as clothing does not conflict with the school's dress code, under the proposal.

No doubt the logicians will also get involved.

Specifying safe zones for some and signs promoting one group over others "can create a feeling of isolation, division and estrangement," the proposal says.

"This can also create the sense that all areas of our school are not equal, with some areas being safer or more tolerant than others," it says.

Shall we add "Inclusion is Marginalization" to Orwell's Party slogans?

"The intention is really to create an environment that is an opportunity that is available similar for all students," he said. "I know it can't be exactly the same, but that there's no preference being shown to any one group or race or ethnicity or gender.

"Then it's really all about transparency with families. That's really where our focus is globally. I feel like this falls into those parameters."

That's not sitting so well with the Marginalized Priviligentsia.

The owners of Avalon Graphics celebrate Pride month every June in front of their Hartland business.

"The first year, we showed up one morning and someone stomped on the sign outside the front door," said Val Wisniewski, business owner.

His fear: that in removing the identity politics signage from the school, is the vandalism being winked at? "'If you go back and watch school board meetings from this past year, I think the students would tell you – they do not feel safe,' Wisniewski said."

On the other hand, a church sanctuary can serve as a safe space, can't it?

Down the street, the pastor at First Congregational United Church of Christ said he is already working on a solution. The church is partnering with local parents to offer a place where "any kid that might feel estranged from their school or other peers can come and feel a sense of belonging."

Some "belonging" is more blessed than other, though.

"First Congregational United Church of Christ is committed to creating a safe place for all. We believe that the radical message of Jesus was an inclusive one. Jesus did not cast out people from any background, but rather drew them in. That is what our church aims to be. A place of refuge and place where everyone, no matter their background, race, marital status or sexual orientation is not only welcomed but affirmed as a beloved creation made in the image of God.

"We are working with local parents to offer a place where any kid that may feel estranged from their school or other peers can come and feel a sense of belonging.

"What saddens me, is that the divisiveness that is going on across the country is hurting our children. If we could focus on things that really matter like our deteriorating school buildings, keeping public school funds in our public schools, bullying, respect for our educators and administrators, rather than on who someone loves or what pronoun they prefer, we would be in a much better place as a society."

If a kid gets cut from the Arrowhead junior varsity or is dressed down in chemistry lab, will this congregation provide solace?  Or have First Congregational simply signalled their affiliation with the Church of Intersectionality?