East Helena School Board Wrestles With Flag Enforcement Policy
Author: mt43news staff reporter
East Helena School Board Wrestles with Flag Enforcement Policy
MT43 News Staff Reporter
One of the student discipline policies set out by the Montana School Board Association (MTSBA) covers what flags and banners may be displayed in schools and school parking lots. East Helena School Board members grappled with the policy rules, questioning whether such rules could be enforced and by whom at the school.
School board member Mark Diehl pointed out the difficulty in policing cars in the parking lot displaying various flags, since cars are private property. He suggested the school should not adopt a policy that has no basis in law. Superintendent Dan Rispens pointed out that the policy mirrors the Montana Code, but that the question of enforcement will probably be litigated at some point. Chairman Scott Walters added that school policy must stay consistent with MTSBA rules. “We do not want to be a test case in court,” he said.
Despite the board’s hesitancy, the members voted to pass the policy.
During the discussion of the 2025-2026 budget, Rispens explained that a portion of his tuition budget would be cut, since fewer East Helena District students will be attending schools in other districts. Tuition monies go to pay for students who attend other schools.
According to Jill Hoogerheide, business manager and district clerk, East Helena schools have 1,959 students who live outside the district, signed up to attend school this year, as of June 30. Townsend School District sent 17 of its students to East Helena schools.
In other business, the board passed its final 2025-2026 budget of $21,991,300 for East Helena High School, East Valley Middle School and Prickly Pear Elementary School.
