Military Mom Concerned With School Flag Flap

Nancy Cross says honoring our nation’s military is something deeply important to her family, especially as her husband gets ready to deploy to Afghanistan this weekend. Cross said when she dropped her son off at Prairie Winds Elementary in Pueblo West Monday, she immediately noticed a problem: The flag was not at half-staff.

“I went to the office and explained to them that it was ordered by Governor Hickenlooper that the flag be flown at half-staff because of Captain Ryan Hall,” said Cross. “They said that they had no clue, that they had not received a phone call.”

Hall, from Colorado Springs, was an Air Force captain killed last month in Africa. Cross said she also pointed out to school leaders that flags were supposed to be at half-staff again on Tuesday for Army Staff Sgt. Jordan Hall, a Denver man who died in Afghanistan.

Cross said she called the district office Monday and left a message. She said she was surprised on Tuesday when, again, the flag was not lowered at Prairie Winds. She said called the district, but again did not hear back.

“If we don’t have enough respect to lower the flag when its ordered by our elected officials, then how are we supposed to expect our children to have any respect when they’re older?” Cross said.

District 70 Superintendent Ed Smith said he could understand Cross’ disappointment in the district. He said he usually gets an email from the governor’s office when flags should be lowered, but this time, he didn’t see one. As a result, some schools lowered their flags, others didn’t.

Smith said he was sorry for what happened, and after we talked to him, he called Cross to tell her the same thing.

“In fact, we have learned from (Cross) of a way to have this information text messaged to us,” said Smith “So I get it and all of our principals get it, so this doesn’t happen in the future.”