Hononegah's flag protocols after the death of Charlie Kirk

At last Friday's Hononegah High School football game on Sept 12, 2025, student and cheerleader Kennlee Ray noticed that the flags were not lowered to half-mast. Knowing this was a period of mourning connected to 9/11 and the recent death of Charlie Kirk, she questioned why the flags were not lowered. Kenlee researched the proclamations herself and then respectfully approached school leaders, asking that the flags be lowered. Following her advocacy, the flags were adjusted to half-mast.

In a statement to the community, the district acknowledged that the flags should have been lowered sooner, explained why they hadn't been, and thanked the student who raised the concern, saying her advocacy ensured the proper respect was shown.  

Below is the statement from Hononegah Community High School Principal Chad Dougherty "to address concerns raised by members of our community regarding the timing of our flag protocols following the tragic death of Charlie Kirk":

We have received valuable feedback from our community, and understand the importance of honoring official proclamations from government leaders.

We sincerely apologize for the delay in lowering our flags to half-staff. We understand that this was a source of distress for many in our community. As an organization, we are committed to showing respect for individuals who have received official proclamations for a national period of mourning.

In this instance, our internal procedures for responding to such directives did not allow for the immediate action that the situation required. The district had lowered the flags for the September 11th observance, and our custodial crew had raised them the morning of September 12th as we have done in past years. The notification regarding "Victims of Political Violence" from the Illinois State Board of Education was not received until much later that morning of the 12th, and it was unfortunately missed as the crew was attending to their other duties.  The lowering of the flag regrettably took longer than it should have, and I am very appreciative of our student who rightfully advocated for it.

Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Kirk's family, friends, and all those who are mourning his loss. We understand that his death is a profound tragedy, and we condemn all forms of political violence.

We are now reviewing and updating our internal communication and protocol systems to ensure that in the future, we can respond with the speed and solemnity that such a directive deserves. We are committed to making these improvements and value the trust of our community.

Thank you to our reader Kevin Gable for the story tip.