Pride flags will not be displayed at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland as the 2026-2027 school year begins, school President Kim Walsh said in a letter to parents on Wednesday, after tensions over the flags became a “lightning rod” last year at the Catholic school.
The flags have been replaced with a new symbol developed by the school’s community, which represents “our unwavering commitment to every LGBTQ+ student, family, faculty member and staff member,” Walsh wrote in the letter.
The symbol, shown on the school’s website, is a letter “O” containing blotches of the colors of the Pride and Progress flag.
On Wednesday, an Instagram account run by alumni said the removal of Pride flags from the Catholic high school in the Oakland Hills flouted its responsibility to promote a “welcoming, diverse community.” Attempts to reach the owners of the account by this news organization were unsuccessful.
“This directly affects the LGBTQ+ population of the school by removing pieces of representation,” read the Instagram post, which had received more than 1,500 likes after two days.
The “Inclusive O” symbol now appears “in lieu of the Pride and Progress flags that had previously been displayed in some classrooms, and is now displayed campus-wide,” Walsh wrote.
School leaders had spent a year consulting with students and community members about how to approach the issue, according to Walsh’s letter. That process “led us to create the Inclusive O — a symbol that belongs uniquely to O’Dowd, one that we define and one that expresses our unwavering commitment to every LGBTQ+ student, family, faculty member, and staff member,” Walsh wrote.
School leaders planned to introduce students to the symbol during orientation on Thursday, Walsh wrote. In the Instagram post, the alumni urged school community members to “respectfully” email Walsh about the changes to its Pride flag policy as classes begin on August 10.