Utah bans overtly political flags from classrooms, government buildings
April 2, 2025
The state of Utah has banned the display of overtly political flags in government buildings and schools after House Bill 77 became law without Gov. Spencer Cox’s signature last Thursday.
The Christian Post reports that the measure prohibits a “government entity, or an employee of a school district or school within the public education system acting within the employee’s official duties” from displaying “a flag in or on the grounds of government property.”
There are exceptions within the law, including the U.S. flag, the Utah state flag, and flags that represent other countries, states, municipalities, Native American tribes, colleges or universities.
The implementation of the law comes as pushback toward the official promotion of progressive ideology in American culture continues to grow.
According to the Christian Post, Cox told state legislators in a letter: “I deeply believe that our classrooms need to be a place where everyone feels welcome — free from the politics that are fracturing our country. Parents are rightly upset when they bring their kids to publicly funded schools and see culture-war symbols in a place that should be apolitical.”
In explaining why he allowed the bill to become law without his signature, Cox clarified that he felt “the bill is overly prescriptive on flags themselves,” adding, “To those legislators who supported this bill, I’m sure it will not fix what you are trying to fix.”
The ACLU of Utah expressed its opposition to the law, saying it could potentially lead to, “broader restrictions on speech, education, or expression for even more Utahns.”
Cox appeared to address those concerns in his letter to Utah lawmakers, writing, “The idea that kids can only feel welcome in a school if a teacher puts up a rainbow flag is just wrong. Let’s do everything possible to make our classrooms one of the last remaining politically neutral places in our state.”
The law will go into effect on May 7.
Photo: top, Credit: Allison Dinner/AFP via Getty Images