Institutional neutrality is the idea that an educational institution should not take political stances and should, in the words of The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, “host critics—not become the critic itself.” Though generally applied in the context of colleges and universities, themes regarding institutional neutrality have gained some traction locally, including in a February piece by Opinions Managing Editor Elias Brendel and a suggested proposal for a district-wide political signage policy that would have, in part, banned unapproved “Political, religious, or commercial advertisements” from being displayed on school property. The Cypress interviewed five of the six School Committee candidates in the upcoming May 6 Town Election and asked the following general question: “Is institutional neutrality an achievable goal in Brookline? If so, is it an admirable one?” Read what they had to say at the link in our bio. Marco Neer Kiran Bhatia