Letter: Displaying American flag is important

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To the editor,

My husband and I have been Naugatuck residents for approximately 30 years. We raised three children and now have several grandchildren in its public school system.

We live in Indian Hills North and I drive by Maple Hill Elementary School a minimum of four times a day. For a year or more now, I have noticed that this school does not display the American flag.

In May of 2011, just before Memorial Day, I called the Board of Education to inquire why this school does not display the flag every day. It wasn’t displayed on Labor Day 2010, Sept. 11 2010, Veterans Day, Presidents Day, Martin Luther King Day or any other day for more than a year.

When I called to talk with Superintendent Dr. Tindall-Gibson, he was busy, so I spoke to his secretary. She was very pleasant as I explained my concern. Due to the town’s budget restraints, I even offered to contribute a new flag if this were the case. She could not give me a reason, however she did offer to call Principal Caine to find out why.

The next day, she returned my call and explained that the school had plenty of flags but the principal told her the pulley ropes had broken. They were ordered and she was waiting for them to be delivered.

Well, I think the school should cancel the order because here it is the end of September 2001 and still there is no flag displayed.

Maybe this does not seem like a big deal to some people but in lieu of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, which the flag again was not displayed, and the state of our economy, I feel it is very important that we remain loyal to our country and teach our children the importance of patriotism. Many of our men and women are dying to keep us a free nation. And, although our country is experiencing many problems right now, we should never lose sight of who we were, who we are, and who we want to be.

I implore the principal at Maple Hill Elementary School to make it her mission to not only display our flag every day, but also, take an example from Prospect Street School and have two of the older students put it out every morning.

Linda Pisani

Naugatuck