[EmailPoster]

I work in the office at covenant christian school in panama city,...

Originally Posted by Glemaslvb

I work in the office at Covenant Christian School in Panama City, Florida.
Our 6th grade class is responsible for raising and lowering our flag each
day. On my way to work I often see flags at half staff (or half mast), then get
to work and check to make sure we're flying ours that way as well. But,
many times, I'm not even sure why it's flying at half staff. Is there a
web-site you can quickly go to that tells you if the flag should be flying at
half-staff and why? Today, we are assuming is it in honor of Coretta Scott King.
Thank you.

[sarahw]

There are two main holidays when the flag is always flown at half-staff (since we're on land, it's half-staff, not half-mast): Memorial Day and Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 15). The flag is also flown at half-staff on Sept. 11.

Other times the flag may be flown at half-staff are declared by the president or the governor of your state. Some states have the flag lowered when a serviceman or woman from that state dies in combat, while others reserve the honor for former governors, legislators and other notable citizens.

The US Flag Code says the flag will always be flown at half-staff under the following circumstances:

The flag shall be flown at half-staff thirty days from the death of the President or a former President; ten days from the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of an executive or military department, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory, or possession; and on the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress.

One great way to know when the flag should be flown at half-staff beyond this list is to read your local newspaper. The paper should run stories about those notable people who the flag is lowered for.

One site that offers notifications and lists flag lowerings is the site for Peterson Flags, but it isn't foolproof. Someone has to notify them that the flag is being lowered and for what reason, then it has to be posted on the site. But it can give you an idea of when the flag is being lowered and why.

Sarah