An Osseo Area Schools parent accused the district of giving preferential treatment to its LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee during a Sept. 29 school board meeting, pointing to pride-related initiatives and flag displays in district schools.
LaDawn Severin, a district parent, was the only member of the public to speak during the meeting’s audience comment period.
Severin told board members her remarks would focus on what she described as two “blind spots” in the district.
School: Osseo (@ISD279)
Topic: 🏳️🌈LGBTQIA+ FlagsA district parent argues that the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee receives preferential treatment compared to other groups and criticizes the permanent display of pride flags in middle school cafeterias, unlike other advisory groups.… pic.twitter.com/TLo7W5PP3Z
— Mark Gilson 🌱 (@markwgilson) October 6, 2026
One, she said, involved families whose children no longer attend Osseo schools. The second concerned the district’s advisory committees.
Severin said the district has numerous advisory committees that regularly provide recommendations to the school board, but questioned whether some groups have more influence than others.
“What if only a handful of the committees ever get their recommendations done while the rest of the committees exist more as a formality to justify the two or three committees that always seem to get their wish lists implemented?” Severin said.
“The LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee seems to have a fast track to their wishes being granted,” she continued. “This favoritism calls for the accountability of the greater community to come in and help point out blind spots.”
Severin pointed to pride-related activities and displays as examples of her concerns.
She recalled wondering whether the district’s LGBTQ-related efforts would “tame down” after she and some community members stopped speaking as frequently at meetings, but said, “In reality though, the movement got more bold.”
The issue stood out to her following what she described as the district’s first annual pride celebration in May. Severin said she spent considerable time in one of the district’s middle schools over the summer and noticed a large pride flag hanging from the cafeteria ceiling.
“Seeing that all summer long provoked my God-given conscience,” Severin said.
She envisioned students “sitting in the cafeteria eating under that flag like a big perpetual bully on their back,” adding that she believed it was “literally hanging gender insecurity over their heads.”
Severin said she later tried to determine whether pride flags were displayed at other district schools.
“I got into a handful, but then once word got out that I was doing that, it was harder to gain access,” she said.
According to Severin, one principal told her, “Yep, there’s our flag, but you’re not going to take a picture of it” and she said it was “the only lifestyle flag, the only sexuality flag, the only worldview flag” displayed in district buildings aside from national flags.
In response to questions from Alpha News, Osseo Area Schools said its advisory groups provide recommendations to the school board and district leadership, but those recommendations are subject to further review and “may or may not be implemented.”
“The reason each of these advisory groups exists does differ,” Executive Director of School and Community Relations Kay Villella said. “Some are state required, others are created because of a larger need or initiative, and others because of board direction.”
Villella said the district’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group was created following a board-approved “LGBTQIA+ History and Culture Resolution” that was passed in June 2022. That resolution directed the superintendent and staff to officially recognize “Pride Month,” implement LGBTQIA+ curriculum, allow “student choice in restrooms and locker rooms,” and fly the “Progress Pride flag” at all district buildings in June.
The district did not specifically address Severin’s allegation that the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group receives preferential treatment compared to other advisory groups.
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
