Montana Education Head Draws ‘Firm Line’ on School Compliance After Pride Flag Violations, Conference Recordings

HELENA — Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen has issued a compliance directive explicitly linking state funding and accreditation to school districts’ adherence to controversial flag and gender identity laws, following the release of undercover recordings from a major educator conference that showed teachers discussing ways to circumvent parental concerns.

The October 20 letter to all Montana school districts represents the first concrete enforcement mechanism with financial consequences for violating House Bill 819, which restricts flag displays in schools, and House Bill 474, which requires explicit parental consent for identity instruction.

“In light of recent media coverage regarding potential violations of state and federal law in public schools related to DEI and gender identity instruction, I want to remind school districts to remain in full compliance with the law,” Hedalen wrote in the letter.

The directive came just days after conservative activist Finley Warden released recordings from the October 16-17 Montana Federation of Public Employees Educator Conference, where a middle school librarian described successfully returning a sexually explicit book to her library after it had been removed, calling it her “little censorship success story.”

Enforcement Directive

Hedalen specifically cited House Bill 819, sponsored by Representative Braxton Mitchell, which “strictly limits the display of flags and banners on government property, including public schools. Only officially recognized government flags are permitted. Personal, political, or activist flags are not allowed.”

However, the City of Missoula circumvented the law’s intent by adopting the Pride flag as an official city flag, allowing Missoula County Public Schools to continue displaying it in classrooms under the technical designation as a “government flag.” The schools’ decision to circumvent the legislative intent appears to have prompted Hedalen’s enforcement directive.

The superintendent also emphasized House Bill 471, carried by Senator Jedediah Hinkle, which “reinforces parental rights by requiring an explicit opt-in before a student may receive identity instruction. It is not enough to notify parents—active, written permission is required.”

“As a reminder, when applying for education funding and for state accreditation schools certify compliance and alignment with state and federal law,” Hedalen warned. “Any programming or instruction that conflicts with these requirements must be addressed and removed.”

Budget Crisis Context

The compliance directive comes as Montana public schools face significant enrollment declines that directly impact their funding. Statewide public school enrollment dropped 1.2% to 145,650 students in fall 2024, while homeschool enrollment surged 9.3% to 8,524 students in 2023-2024.

Missoula County Public Schools, where the Pride flag loophole was created, has been particularly affected by the exodus. The district lost almost 300 students in 2023-2024 and has seen elementary enrollment drop by more than 400 students since 2019. The declining numbers contributed to an $8 million budget shortfall in 2024, forcing the district to cut up to 100 positions including teachers and administrators. The crisis stems from a $3 million general fund deficit due to declining enrollment and inflation, plus $5 million in lost federal COVID-19 relief funds. Superintendent Micah Hill said the reductions were the largest “almost a generation” had seen.

“Montana’s funding formula ties dollars directly to head counts, meaning financial woes persist alongside enrollment declines,” making Hedalen’s compliance directive particularly significant for districts already facing budget shortfalls.

Strengthening Enforcement

In her public statement Monday and during a Tuesday morning appearance on the Aaron Flint radio show, Hedalen emphasized her commitment to enforcing state law. “Parents entrust our schools to focus on reading, writing, and core subjects, not political and ideological indoctrination,” she said. “We will not allow taxpayer-funded classrooms to become platforms for activist agendas while parents sit on the sidelines.”

The superintendent also criticized the use of PIR (Pupil-Instruction-Related) days for teacher union meetings, claiming they feature “dwindling attendance and growing ideological indoctrination instead of true teacher professional development.” Hedalen supported failed House Bill 557 in 2025 and plans to revive similar legislation in the 2027 session.

HB 557, introduced by Rep. Jodee Etchart with bipartisan sponsorship, would have restricted PIR days to professional development “solely devoted to improving the quality of instruction and aligned to standards of the Board of Public Education.” The bill would have removed the state mandate requiring school trustees to close schools for annual teacher organization meetings, citing concerns that recent professional development included “political activity and unnecessarily divisive partisan content.”

“Government-encouraged school closures for union activities are an outdated and unproductive use of taxpayer time and resources,” Hedalen said. “PIR days should be used to strengthen instruction, not to promote union politics.”

The enforcement directive raises legal questions about whether the state can condition funding and accreditation on compliance with these specific legislative requirements, particularly when districts have found technical workarounds approved by their legal counsel.

Western Montana News reached out to Missoula County Public Schools for comment on the compliance directive and their flag policy, as well as the Montana Federation of Public Employees for response to the superintendent’s characterization of their conference. Neither organization responded by publication time.

Political Support

The directive has received strong support from Republican organizations across the state. Montana Senate Republicans endorsed Hedalen’s action, posting “Exactly right. Thank you, Superintendent Hedalen!” The Montana Republican Party praised her for “keeping Montana schools focused on performance instead of politics,” while the Montana Family Foundation thanked her for “taking action to hold schools accountable.”

Warden, who captured the original conference recordings and is a graduate of Missoula’s Sentinel High School where he says he experienced “liberal indoctrination,” thanked Hedalen “for fighting tirelessly to protect the integrity of our public schools and defend Montana families.” He said he is partnering with the national Libs of TikTok account to release additional recordings from the educator conference.

“Any programming or instruction that conflicts with these requirements must be addressed and removed,” Hedalen concluded in her letter to districts, drawing what she called a “firm line” in Montana’s ongoing education culture wars.