Vermont school district flies Somali flag amid massive fraud investigation in divisive move: GOP chair

A agrarian Vermont schoolhouse territory has stirred societal media contention aft raising a Somali emblem past week, amid a nationalist reckoning implicit fraud successful the Somali assemblage successful Minnesota and starring to condemnation from the state's GOP chairman.

"I conscionable don't recognize wherefore our K done 12 schools deliberation this is the astir important thing," Paul Dame, president of the Vermont Republican Party, told Fox News Digital. "I deliberation astir Vermonters, astir apt astir Americans, privation their schools to absorption connected reading, penning and arithmetic, and not what flags get displayed extracurricular the school. It seems similar a immense discarded of time."

The Winooski School District, located successful occidental Vermont adjacent the metropolis of Burlington, is astatine the halfway of the controversy.

"We are raising the Somali emblem this week successful grant of our Somali younker and families successful Winooski and Vermont," the Winooski School District said successful a Facebook station connected Dec. 5. "On Monday, we volition beryllium gathering to observe unneurotic and to larn much astir our civilian rights."

A Somali emblem flies beneath an American emblem successful the Winooski School District successful Vermont connected Dec. 5, 2025.  (Winooski School District via Facebook)

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Over the weekend, the communicative went viral connected X and different societal media sites, arsenic photos of the flag-raising were reposted crossed the web.

That led to a Monday clarification by the schoolhouse territory successful a remark connected its archetypal Facebook post.

"First, we privation to guarantee our assemblage that the United States emblem remains successful its due spot astatine the highest point, successful afloat accordance with the U.S. Flag Code," the school's follow-up station said. "The Winooski School District has 3 emblem masts: the U.S. emblem connected the apical mast, the Vermont authorities emblem connected the second, and—this week—the Somali emblem connected the third."

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"The Somali emblem is being flown for 1 week arsenic a motion of enactment for our Somali students and families," the station said. "Winooski is simply a proudly divers community, and we are committed to recognizing and uplifting each of the cultures that marque our territory stronger."

A assemblage of radical gathered astir a flagpole astatine a Winooski School District spot looks up arsenic a Somali emblem is hoisted connected Dec. 5, 2025.  (Winooski School District via Facebook)

Dame described the imaginable for divisiveness that flying a overseas emblem tin evoke, and called it "intentionally provocative." 

"It's not making things amended for the students successful the school, due to the fact that evidently there's astir apt immoderate students who enactment that and immoderate students who consciousness differently," said Dame. "So it's not doing thing affirmative to bring the schoolhouse unneurotic oregon make a amended learning environment."

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"People conscionable truly person a hard clip raising the emblem implicit an American spot that's not the American flag, and I deliberation schools — it's truly imperative that if schools privation to beryllium capable to bring their assemblage unneurotic — they instrumentality a look astatine things similar this that are intentionally dividing them, and bring their assemblage together."

The territory recovered enactment among galore commenters connected its Facebook page.

"Very arrogant to beryllium an alumni of this fantastic schoolhouse district," said a commenter named Jennifer Agnew. "Thank you for doing what you tin to support our assemblage members, and for showing america the mode successful this acheronian time."

A radical of radical photographed connected Dec. 5, 2025, looking up arsenic a Somali emblem is hoisted connected Winooski School District property.  (Winooski School District via Facebook)

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"Grateful for our Somali neighbors – you are invited and I admit your contributions to our city!" Kate Cappleman Sinz said.

The responses connected X took connected a overmuch antithetic tone.

"We shouldn't beryllium flying overseas flags connected nationalist schoolhouse grounds successful America," writer and laminitis of ACT for America Brigitte Gabriel said. "Especially, the Somali flag! The Winooski School District successful Vermont needs to beryllium held accountable."

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"Winooski School District successful Vermont has enactment up a Somali emblem successful protestation to President Trump and arsenic a connection that each Somalis are invited successful the state," said commentator Benny Johnson. "I’ve got a proposition for ICE’s adjacent stop."

The schoolhouse district's determination comes amid a U.S. House probe and a Treasury Department reappraisal of schemes mostly perpetrated by Minnesota's Somali assemblage involving the alleged theft of hundreds of millions of dollars successful COVID alleviation funds and fraud related to nationalist lodging programs and autism alleviation services.

Claims that astatine slightest immoderate of the wealth was funneled to the African Islamic panic radical Al-Shabaab are besides being probed.

The Winooski School District did not respond to a petition for comment. 

A demonstrator waves a emblem of Somalia arsenic a conveyance passes by a rally successful protestation against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid a reported national migration cognition targeting the Somali community, successful Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dec. 8, 2025. (Tim Evans/Reuters)

Employees successful the Minnesota Department of Human Services accused Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of presiding implicit the alleged fraud, contempt being warned of its existence.

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President Donald Trump weighed successful connected the contention connected Truth Social, and vowed to extremity a fashionable way to ineligible residence successful the United States.

"Minnesota, nether Governor [Tim] Walz, is simply a hub of fraudulent wealth laundering activity," helium said successful a Nov. 20 post. "I am, arsenic President of the United States, hereby terminating, effectual immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis successful Minnesota."