Black Lives Matter flag raised at South Burlington middle school District plans to fly the flag year-round at all of its schools Share Updated: 2:12 PM EST Feb 3, 2021 Corey Burdick A Black Lives Matter flag is raised at a South Burlington middle school on Feb. 3, 2021. SOURCE: Corey Burdick District plans to fly the flag year-round at all of its schools Share Updated: 2:12 PM EST Feb 3, 2021 A Black Lives Matter flag was raised at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School on Wednesday morning. The South Burlington middle school's principal, Karsten Schlenter, spoke briefly at the site and was followed by pre-recorded speeches from students. Students and staff attended the event virtually; very few people were physically present to raise the flag. "The raising of the flag is symbolic for what we believe in: to fight racism in our continuous effort to build a more equitable school community," Schlenter said in a statement. "We denounce any form of racism and discrimination of our BIPOC population."The Black Lives Matter flag has been raised at nearby South Burlington High School during February since 2018, a group of students presented the school board with a proposal to fly the flag year-round at all five district schools in December. The proposal was unanimously approved last month. "We are grateful for the incredible leadership demonstrated by our students and staff to raise awareness around racial inequality and for the support we've received from our school board. We see the raising of the Black Lives Matter flag as a visible commitment to our students of color," Superintendent David Young said. High school students with the Student Justice Union have been working with the district's three elementary schools to help facilitate the process of raising the flag at those schools.Watch: Nearby schools raise Black Lives Matter flag in 2020Other schools in the state have raised the Black Lives Matter flag at their locations, including some in Burlington and Montpelier. Community members in Hinesburg also raised the flag outside of town hall Monday, the first day of Black History Month.