1. United States
2. N.H.
3. Letter

The New Hampshire Senate is preparing to vote on a bill that would ban nearly all flags and banners at our public schools, with only a few exceptions. It would ban many items: from a happy birthday banner, to a college flag or flags celebrating graduates, to flags representing students' ancestry and pride flags, mental health awareness or bullying prevention month banners, and much more. If passed, this extreme bill would chill and restrict the free speech and expression rights of students and teachers, with very limited exceptions for even classroom lessons. In addition to negatively impacting the education of all students through classroom censorship, it would also create a chilling effect for students or even limit displays of student artwork or club activities. It would create unwelcoming environments for both teachers and students, especially students from the LGBTQ community and immigrant families. Our First Amendment rights to free speech and expression do not simply disappear at the front doors of our schools.