Missouri teacher resigns after school tells him to remove Pride flag

Date:

Share post:

A Missouri teacher resigned last week after administrators in his school district told him he had to take down his Pride flag and that he couldn’t discuss human sexuality or “sexual preference” at school.

John M. Wallis, 22, who taught speech, theater and world mythology, said he hung a rainbow Pride flag in his classroom at Neosho Junior High School on the first day of school to create a welcoming environment for all students – and he said students noticed.

“I had, on the first day, about five students that came up to me and thanked me,” he said. “They said: ‘Thank you for having the flag up. I wouldn’t know where else to go.’”

But just two days later, on Aug. 26, Wallis said, he was called into a meeting with administrators, who told him that a parent had called and expressed concern that Wallis “would potentially teach their child to be gay.”

Read more from NBC News.

Scroll down for more from DA

The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights peer-to-peer collaboration and more build exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and thier leaders
Built for the uniqueness of the superintendent role and their supporting team.Most platforms treat all K–12 leaders the same. DA+ recognizes that superintendents face a unique level of pressure, complexity, visibility, and responsibility—and gives them a space designed specifically for the demands of the top job.
A community where you don’t have to explain the context.Skip the backstory. DA+ understands the job, the politics, the stakes, and the pace.
Your decisions shape communities.Find the tools and peer insight to make them with confidence here.
Leadership tailored to the realities of running a district.From board relations to budgets, crisis response to community trust—DA+ focuses on the challenges only superintendents navigate each day.
Built for superintendents.Powered by superintendents. Trusted by superintendents. If you run a district, you belong here.

Related Articles